, 1881-02-11
THAT LAND OFFICE.

n Dui no" pehuihS o0iO'0 w"
gress, having been introduced by
Delegate Brents last summer, pro-
viding for the establishing OF land
Office at Port Townsend, has receiv-
ed the attention of numerous intlu-
ential an public. spirited citizens of
Puget Sound, in the ways of person
al letters urging its passage. AS a
sample of these epistolary argu-
ments, we append below a letter
from Judge Swan, Of Neah Bay, to
our Representative:
NEAH BAY, CLALLAM Co., W. I.
January llth, 1881. J
DEAR SIR:-The settlers in this north
western uortion of our Territory are de-
sirous ol having a land office established
a. Port Townsend, Jefferson county, and
have been requested to address you on
the subject and respectfully ask your CO.
operation to have such land office created
Tor the following reasons which more par
tluularly affect this and the adjoining
county Of Jefferson:
Recent Government surveys have de-
yeioped the fact that large bodies OF agri-
cultural lands exist In Callam county In
near proximity to the straits Of Fuca, and
i'm the valleys OF the Quilleute and atftu-
ent streams south of Cape Flattery, and
In Jefferson county south OF Quilleute IN
tho valleys OF considerable stream empty
in0 into the Pacific ocean.
An examination OF the surveys of
Washington Territory will show that JEFF
ferson county, although partly to the
eastward OF Clallam county, also extends
south of that county due west to the
ocean.
Ihe attention Of immigrants has been
directed to the very considerable and val
liable bodies OF land lying i'll these coun-
ties west OF the Willamette meridian, aud
it is confidently anticipated that the COM
ing season will bring large numbers to
swell our population.
These lands must necessarily be entered
at Olympia at the general land office, aud
as the trade from the Quilleute aud the
western portion Of Jefferson county comes
first to Neah Bay, the distance to the land
office Is considerably more than two hun.
dred miles, and the expense Of travel aud
the loss OF time can be i'll Afforded by the
immigrants, most OF whom are poor men.
A land otice at Port Townsend, while
it would greatly benefit the immigrant,
would also be a positive public benefit Dy
Offering facilities to purchasers and SET
Tiers OH the public lands, which would i'll
duce many to examine the magnificent
domain in the two counties, and thus cre-
ate for us a population which would occu-
nvand cultivate the soil, aid form new
Settlements in Il region which now lies
waste aud unknown.
The claims OF Western Washington, or
rather Northwestern Washington, have
not been So fully presented to the public
as Eastern Washington, that glorious por-
tion of our territory which needs only to
be seen to be appreciated and occupied.
Western Washing needs much to be done
TO encourage immigrants to come among
us, ami one OF tile greatest DoonS that
could De granted at the present time, Is
the establ lshIng OF the land Office at Port
Townsend as asked Tor.
Port Townsend is the cen tire OF an area
comprising all the northwestern portion
OF Washington Territory, aQd easy COM
munication can be had at alrtimcs by wa
ter. At present weekly mail steamer
affords a conveyance from Mean bay anu
intermediate ports Oh Fuca strait, and
Semiahmoo aud intermediate ports In tile
extreme northern counties 60 Port Town.
send, giving ample time Tor the transac-
ton OF business aud return to the ex-
treme limits OF these counties with only
the absence OF one week, while to 90 TO
Olympia will take Two weeks, and often
three weeks with the additional expense.
| have been interested lOr many years
In the Development OF that section Of our
Territory lying between Grays harDor
and the strait of Fuca, and between
Hoods canal and the Pacific ocean. and
/ believe the time has fully come when
the Government will be justified in iheur-
ring the expense Of creating a land office
at Port Townsend IA a measure OF sound
public policy, and therefore join with
my fellow citizens Of this portion OF our
Territsry-your consitnenr'--in respect