Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-03-26
Many poST-IN1EluGENCER


OF Tacoma L6bt cosUsS"JS ~~
mass meeting. Here il Is:
The enemies of the Northern Pacihc
Railroad Company aud OF Tacoma are
Alarmed and suddenly aroused 70 40
ton. 81.
at Alnha Opera Hall this evening. st
O'clock, and By prompt action ORC am
vent their enemies and promote 'hen
w W..ns. 90 1874 Mayor.
Perusal of the above fulninat'oh can
convey bat one conviction to any iaii-
minded man. II was issued in anger /;
its assumptions are false. The speecne7
which we're made at the meeting ioii'"
ing its publication evince the ani"os
which impeIled the call and ae'oa'eo
.ot;ve participants therein. The sitoa-
ton WA Al follows: The Mayor OF
SEATTLE had, n response TO the request
Of a large number of the best citizens
Of this CITY, ON Friday lat issued CAL
for mass meeting to discuss ana take
action with regard to the measure PEND
ing before Congress providing Tor 10Y.
failure of the unearned land grant OF
ths N,rtbsrn Pacific Railroad Com
psnv. Il bad for weeks previous been
apparent that the sentiments OF THIS
peopIe were not in accord with the
resolutions adopted by the Chamber OF
Commerce and forwarded to "a"sina-
ton. Tho Same condition Of Affairs. 1t
may be observed. exists in other cities
of this Territory, where similar action
has been taken by local boards withons
oonsul.ation with the public. The
meeting at this city on Saturday was
not called by enemies Of Tacoma. Hos
tilitv 70 our neighbor on Commence
ment Bay had nothing to do with It.
and although i'll the excitement OK
speech making language may have
been used which indicated the exist
enoe of that sentiment, it was bnt an
expressisn Of personal opinion. moi
dental to and entirely separdble from
tho object Of the m.etinR. There WAS
a,thinp in the call OF Mayor Strive
which gave tho Mayor of Tacoma a
shadow Of justification for the issu-
suce OF such pronunciamento. There
ID nothing in the resolutions adopted
which evinces enunity To the o.ty OF
Tacoma.
We desire to cmphasi,s ths declara-
ton heretofore made that the opposi-
ton of this paper and this people to
lon.er continuance Of the land grant to
the Northern Pacific Railroad. Company
il not based on reasons local in origin
or character. II il not the outRrowth
of hostility to our neighbOrs OF Tacoma,
nor to the location Of the projected line
of railroad through the Natohess Pass.
On the contrary. VIC share with tho citi'
IONS Of that city in the hope that hor
business prosperity will continue. We
have consistently maintained that the
prosperity. legitinately based. of one
city Oh Puget Sound is the prosperity Of
all; that 1t was not necessary to tear
down and destroy this or that city in
order that another should DO upbuilt.
We havs never asked for more than
even. handed justice. Nor Ia II because
Il has been announced that the Nat
chess Pass has been selected by tho
Northern Pacific Railroad Company
through which 10 build its branch line
over the Casoads Mountains, that the
people Of this city and section demand
the forfeiture of Its unearned land
grant. On tho contrary. rs We have
said before. il tho stockholders Of the
company oan stand it, we can. II the
construction Of railroad through that
pass will benefit Tacoma-ns undoubt-
edly II will-we shall gladly see II built.
Any railroad over the mountains will.
il honestly operated, be verv valuable
to the people Of both Eastern and West
ern Washington, and undoubtedly re-
munsrative to its owners. We hope TO
500 two or thrce railroads built across
that range Of mountains during the
next decade. We are not opposed to
the extension and completion of the
Northern Pacific Railroad by any route
to any point its management may Sc
lect. We have been waiting for twenty
years to see its locomotive headlight
flashing as II descended the western
slope Of the Cascades. aud no matter at
what point on Puget Sound that lOcomo-
tive stops. all our people will be glad 10
welcome it. Again We 70 peat, that she
citizens Of Seattle, King county and the
Territory at large desire to see not only
ono but several railroads built from east
to west across the mountains. Aud il
they all terminate ut Tacoma, We shall
not oppose their building on that ao.
count. Oar city will catch on some
where.
But, wo do not want another acre Of
tho public domain within the bouudar-
lea Of this Territory aud future great
State. given to any railroad company.
We protest against such action as inn
provident. and unjust. It is IMPROVE
dent because unnecessary. II 10 unjust,
because it gives tho Company no subsi-
died undue advantages over rival and
competing lines, and divests the public
Of its landed property without due con
sideration. We have said before, and
again repeat, that the time has long
since passed when IL vas possible for
any company to earn a land grant in
this Territory by building q railroad.
There are too many people here; lands
hero are too valuable to give away in
subsidies. This Territory il no longer
wilderness. We have abou, 6s.0oO
square miles Of land. and \ population
Of fully 10000. which il rapi dly aug
mentin1. Railroads ara built whore
business exists. They are. II economi
cally constructed and operated, the
safest aud most profitable Investments
in this country. In few years they