The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1879-09-25
VANCOUVER INDEPENDENT.


Seattle has another want. This time
it is not railroad or a wagon road,
u university ora capitol, but United
States Land Office. The Mfcii-
genccr is the mouth-piece and it
makes two propositions. First to
secure a fifth Land district in the Ter
ritory with headquarters at Seattle,
and second in default of the first to
move the Vancouver office to Seattle
and merge this district with the Walla
Walla and Olympia districts. The
argument is that the people in the
down Sound counties are greatly OPP
pressed by being compelled to go to
Olympia to attend to land business,
and therefore something must bc done.
1t recommends earnest, persistent and
united action on the part OF Puget
Sound people, never letting up until
the thing is accomplished. The ease
plainly stated is this: "Soattlc wants
a Land Office, and Seattle must have
a Land Office by fair means or foul,
get it from the government if we can,
rob Vancouver and some other part of
the Territory if we must The sense
of justice in the sanctum of the lRtct-
Hgeacer is not keen enough to dis
cover anything wrong in such a pro-
gramme. 1t argues that because the
people of Whatcom are DISCONNECTED,
they should be assisted out of the diff
Guilty by involving Clarke, Cowlitz,
Klickitat and all the river counties III
far greater difficulties. But Seattle
wants Il Land office, and Seattle Is on
Puget Sound; Vancouver has Il Land
Office and Vancouver is on the Column
bia river, and Vancouver and the
Columbia river have no rights which
Seattle or Puget Sound are bound to
respect. 1t is virtually saying-'you
people over there nj Vancouver have
good thing, we over here at Seattle
want it and without saying by your
leave we will take it from you II we
cam" Such is the attitude as defined
by the LntcHigcaccr.
Now we have something to say about
that. We just simply say to the Iatc'-
Hgenccr ''you cant come it, and your
Imagination can readily supply the
thumb of our editorial fist touching
our editorial nose. There are alto
gether too many people in the river
counties ranging from Pacific to Kick
itat, who find, in these days Of swift
and commodious steamboats,. that the
Columbia River, to and from Van
couver III the center of the district, j.
cheap and expeditions route II travel
to be bamboozled into the idea that
they can be in ANY degree accommo-
dated by going otfinland to Olympia,
Walla Walla or elsewhere to transact
their land business. Vancouver is
central, more nearly - geographically
than any other Land office i'm the Ter
ritory and is exactly so on the line of
travel, and in view Of the land business
now pending in this Office and the
great quantity that should he done
here i'll the future in justice to the
multtudes who are locating here, a
removal of the office would be an out
rage to this part of the Territory. But
Seattle is in the Olympia district, the
Olympia district comprises Puget
Sound. The Office at Olympia must
be let alone. Seattle don't want any
fight there that i too near home. il
may be that Seattle is nearer the cen
ter of the Puget Sound district than
Olympia and that the Olympia Office
moved to Seattle would better accom-
modate the people Of the whole Dis
trict than where il now Is. And again
New Tacoma might be better point
for the office that either seattle or
Olympia. These are tender points,
and the intelligence refrains from
touching them and goes oil after Van
couver in order 10 avoid rumpus at
home. Now If Seattle Is on the gobble
it had better coniine itself 10 Puget
Sound. Vancouver and the Columbia
river counties must be let alone; ali
they ask is justice and that they de
mand and will have
The republicans Of New York have
trouble in their camp, rs will as the
democrats, and faction Of the party