Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-10-09
LAND GRABBING vs.. RAILROAD
BIILDTyG.


gus spares time and space eno1eh from
the pleasarsble occupation Of landing
the public speeches of It's proprietor to
attend TO its contemporaries. 1t gene
rally makes Just about such mess Of it
as in the following extract from Mon
days issue Of that remarkable organ:
@Tbe Oregon Short Line sRd the o.
K. and n. CompaBy's lines will soon
miles beyond Baker City. Our Derso-
cratic friends who are 30 much opposed
to railroads should find same way to
pot a stop 20 this development Of the
country. Where il the PosT-IsTELLI-
oEscER Where is Mr. Voorhees, This
thing of Furnishing railway eommuni-
cation through the country must stop.
Il won't do. The Sc title paper might
tolerate 1t il any assurance could be
given that the road would come to FL
lott bay, but otherwise the p0nderous
weight of that journal must be used TO
crush out the road and prevent its CON-
pletion."
Aside from the inefable demagogy
and neanness Of the above. there IL
nothing remarkable about il bat its alb
solnte idiocy. The D. X. and n. Co.
and the Oregon Short Line Co. have
built in the past ave years fully 1910
miles of railroad, without dollars
subsidy or an acre of land grant. There
have been built in Oregon, Washington,
Idaho. Montana and Utah Territories,
during ths same period over 200 miles
of railroad, entirely without public sub
sidy Of any nature. These roads have
been constructed through sections of
coaniry more sparsely populated. more
difficult to penetrate, and with far less
valuable resoHrees than that to be pene-
trated by the Cascade branch of the
Northern Pacific. They rely upon pri-
vate capital for construction and upon
the resources of the country they bisect
for revenue. They are legitimate rail-
roads, constructed in q legitimate man
ner, and depend upon legitimate bust
ness alone for their successful opera
tion. The Oregon Short Line and the
q. X. aud N. Company's railroad COM
bined, are nearly as long a. the COM
pleted line of the Northern Paci fic
They have been built in one fourth the
time taken by the latter company TO
construct still unoompleted road.
Such is the sort of railroad building
that comes without land grants. Ii is
the sort of railroad building we advo-
cate and will heartily welcome TO Wash
ington Territory. IL is the kind of rail
road building now being done every
where in the United States, where any
railroad is being constructed, save only
In this Territory, and only by the North
ern Pacific. Ii Is the kindsof enterprise
that develops new countries. Railroad
building is a business like coal mining,
farming, stock raising or manufaotur-
ing. Those who build and equip rail-
roads, do 80, or should do so, on bust
ness principles. investing their own
money and depending upon legitimate
profits for remuneration for their labor
and outlay. There is no more sense, no
more justice, no more color of propri-
ETY. in substituting railroad in Wash
ington Territory today than there
would be in substituting the New York
Central, the Pennsylvania Central or
the Baltimore and Ohio for extending
their facilities by laying additional
tracks. To give 1905, 900 acres of good
and valuable land to the Northern Pa
cihc Railroad Company for building
between 200 and 800 miles of railroad
in this Territory now, would be not
merely to squander the public patri-
mony, but a glazing outrage upon all
legitimate and independent enterprise.
The attempted sarcasm of the Argus ia
puerile and Ineffective. There is not a
paper in Washington Territory which is
more earnestly devoted TO upbuilding
and developing its resources than the
PosT- lsrELLIoENcER, nor one which will
more warmly welcome aud sustain legit-
innate enterprise in any section of the
Territory. We are in favor of using all
laudable means TO secure railroads in
this Territory. But we are strenuously
opposed and will do our utmost to pre-
vent the acquisition by any railroad
corporation of vast area of the best
public lands in the Territory as a gratu-
iiy for building railroads in region
where and at period when other cor
porations without subsidies are build
ing aud extending roads in all direc-
tons. The Argus hnoles. because il has
often been assured, that the opposition
Of this paper TO further extension of
time to the Northern Pacific i'm which
10 obtain its land grant. is based upon
the plainest principles Of Law and jus
tice that 1t Is not opposed 10 railroads
but to the continuance Of huge subsi-
dy 10 company already the subject of
especial fayoritism, and which has from
the day its charter was granted. grossly
abused the benehcence and confidence
OF forbearing public. The develop
ment Of land grabbing, not of the conn
try through legitimate self-helpful ON.
aarnrfes. ia uhat wa nn.,aaa