Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-03-14
olIly poST-INTEll|ctMCER.


6SwsS H<sS'
o,, con.emporary the Z sron,cie, ia al
article published yesterday. replying 70
the criticism Of the Tacoma L<'9'r
npon the position assumed by the morn
ING payers Of this city relative to Tue
Northern Pacific unearned land grant,
us4s the follow Ia language
The fact il the Seattle IaI~f- ""l.u
san no,h;nu in oupo-I.icn To the Norm
ern Pacific land grant II Hh u 49,.
,cv d;cta,ed the occupation al the
Natcbess pass.
=, far AS this payer IS coi.cef<7n tIs
.br,v. abatement Of the fh''0r''f'f : '''@i-
o.ilv falls. and withou; a1tt"fty Oh
;,s,,6cs,,on. The PosT.iSTELLrGkScs.
advocates the forfeiture of All IN" iaho
gran, to tue Northern Paoii1c t'aiif"'"
mn, .srned in accordsnc- VIth TIC pro
Visions Of the iav by which the efah'
was made. l, does 50 without reference
10 the Cascade branch or any pass
through that range of mountains. ne
selection Of q pass il a matter Tor ZIG
CON pany TO decide upon. The ciai'n Oh
,pY,bsr land pifts in this Territory TO
build railroads il matter IN which our
whole people have most decided peco-
uisfy interest. We object to giving any
more lands IT, the Northern facinc hah-
road uu,n the broad ground that neither
inIaw nor equity IL It entitled !" theh'
4, h.s mn, earned the millions Of acres
which IT claims. In tie veiy nature OF
,bin,s i, il impossible for 1t to earn any
more. For the past five years this has
t,.,en the case. During that period tue
country through which its railroad u
,,,oisc,..d has been settled, not by Its
AID. hut ia spite OF tue barriers erected
by Withdrawals Of land IN its favor, ana
nv its hardness in extending its road,
until the building Of . railroad from
pno., Sound 10 the Columbia River
over the Cascade mountains has become
An absolutely safe aud Individually prof
table business enterprise. 10 give
COM pany 100000 or 7,cO.UO0 acres oil
land. worth not less than - per acre.
for building two hundred and nifty
miles Of railroad IL Washington lerfi-
tory In the years 1854 and 1885. would he
a Iuonstrous injustice. 1t would be
grant without Il possibility or pretense
of consideration. With equal justice
might a landed subsidy be- given TO
railroad from Chicago to New York.
The Union and Central Pacific rail
road grants were made in 1862, and ex-
tended in 1864. The Northern Pacific
grant was made in 1864. Less than five
Years after. a transcOntinental line was
completed and in operation from New
York TO San Francisco. Since that
time another road has been built across
the continent. aud has been for three
years in successful operation. II has
been almost twenty years since the
Northern Pacific grant was made, and
its main line still lacks 800 miles Of
completion. We have criticized the
management Of the other overland
roads, and justly, but one fact stands
out prominently. The men who manage
those concerns are railroad builders.
not Wall street jueelers, nor Philadel-
phia and Boston railroad wreckers.
They built these roads through desert
countries in advance of settlement.
This Northern Pacific Company has
pursued the oppo tie course it has fol
lowed emigration. Ii waits until the
country becomes settled and then de-
inands land grant for building u rail
road which would be profitable in
vestmsnt without it. la short, II de
mands a royal subsidy for doing what
other companies will gladly do withou,
local or Government aid. Its claims
are based upon contract which II vio-
lated years ago. The Union Pacific
has In the last three years built 40
miles Of railroad north from Utah,
through section Of country assuring
not nearly ~ large local trade as
would be derived from the Cascade
division, and at cost equal per mile to
that Of constructing road from Wal
lula To Puget Sound. Ii has had no
subsidy, Tut depends upon the country
il traverses for its business. II is net
unlikely that its road will lie extended
to Puget Sound. We hope it will.
There IL just AS much reason. equitable
or legal. for giving the Union Pacific
Company landed subsidy for building
railroads through a settled country as
there ~ IN the claim of the Northern
Pacific Railroad Company for n present
VI forty square miles of land for every
mile Of railroad il oan build at this late
day.
We have no objection to the selec-
ton OF Natchess Pass by the Northern
Pacific Railroad Company. IL its
stockholders can stand IL, We can tu,
We object to giving it another acre OF
land for building mile of railroad in
this Territory. Ia this language PLAN
enough The land should be reserved
for the people, and railroad companies
left ~ build roads on business princi.
ples, without subsidy of lands OF
money They viii be built whenever
there IL chance for profit, and il re-
quires no argument 10 prove that q
railroad from here to Walla Walls
would come within that category.