Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-10-03
DAILY POST. INTELuGENCER.
suHsrse ~ rns AsImILs.

effect of the failure oi soS
e,fs Railroad Company ~ secure -
lease the property VI the -. H. q -
Co,onanv has evidently stirred az Tue
animals In the railroad tesnsesriS' IFS
Herald came 10 the rescue OF ia master
nv declaring that this pAp@r ~As "'s'-
Dloysd 1y the UDios " Central P~e'he'
and the Chyoslets followed suit ysa'sf
day morning Ia iogubfious wall 'hA'
we ware irving 70 steal the railroad
eompany's lands, aud evidently bad nos
baA tbs advantage of santay s~hf'''i
education. Neither u these two ran
road organs however advance any vAiie
argumen. against the position taEeS u
the artiels referred 70.
Assuming a. fact that tbs northern
Pacific has failed 20 lease the line OF
railroad from Wsiinla ~ Portland sno
will not sueesed in W doing, u IL nani'
fes. to every intelligent person that II -
like Gen. Batter at Bermuda HUNDREDS
bottled up,p and mus, cot iss way oo'
Ia tide water. Il can DO 20 10 two Saj''
,o.wlt; by completing it, main iirs
from WsllalA TO Portland, OF by es''A-
UIetlu0 its branch line from AinsTofth
10 Puost Sound. Tbs hrst would pafal-
lei a railroad already completed aud h.
oueration, and which Will sithin tbirfJ
DAYS be connected tBroagh the Union
Pacific system with Omaba and Chi
ezQO. The latter sOnid D. removed
from probable aud even possible oofn-
Ietltioa for a series Of yaars. IL IL evi
dent that in this usE of ths sisaatlon'
prompt construction Of tins CaSeads
branch In business necessity.
What foll0ws7 10 build this road
A work delayed for q long p"riod sns
which evan now wsis IL not compelled
To do 20, the Northern PAeifs Railroad
COMPANY wosld not o0nstruct--a grant
Of lands xerth many fold this cost OF
It's construction. Is demanded. lyon
what grounds Solely upon the fact
that In 1bg4--0yer went yeaFs ago
the United States Cover meut told the
company " II you will build and operate
q railroad between Lake superior ard
Puget sound on or before jniy 4, 1916,
this muniSeent grant shall be yours. "
Years aoo the time fixed for conpistisn
Of that work expired. Years ago tie
Northern Pacific Railroad Company
forfeited ths right 10 earn tbs land
granted in aid Of It's Cascade branch
under its charter. II has no more legal
right 10 those lands than any other com
pany which should nov undertake TO
build a railroad ever the sasIe route.
Neither the President ~ the Usitt d
States nor the Secretary ~ the Interior
has under the Law Of 1854 the legal right
to accept sections Of that road. or issue
patents for lands claimed 10 be earned
therefor. They are legally forfeited.
and the only thing needed TO throw
them open to public occupation 10 for
the prant0T the Government, 10 make
an Affirmative declaration Of "a entry
upon lie grant. This, We are told by
tho chyonicis, would be etealine."
btsaling what Not the property Of
the railroad company certainly, for IL
does not own the lands. II has no right
to them. Not the property ~ the Gov
eminent 1t will hardly be called steal
iuR Tor Rrant0r % resume his own
upon failure Of the grantee to comply
with tho conditions of the grant. The
abaurdiiy Of suoh position IL manifest
lhe company has no legal right 10
any Md for building The Cascade branch.
Has It any in equityT Let ma SOC. The
population Of this Territory Ia the past
four years hus nearly doubled. This IN
CREASE has boon largely due t. ito ex
peotcd aud actual connection bv rail
with the great East People have aook
cd into Oregon aud Washington for
three OF four years In great numbers, on
the atTength Of promises that another
- "faF''''H't tAtA0 Nh0 FRpu w Dt
opened. They are hsre. They came
mainly by other rostes than the North.
orn Pacific, but that does not materially
signify. Great credit IL claimed by the
organs of that company for this add
tinn 10 our population. Iiut In there no.
another side tu this visw2
suppoao that the Northern Pacific
Railroad Company had fulfilled ita
promlaea, had complied With the oondi.
uona of It's charter, suppose, instead
Of making ia 1879 roudabou. connco
"on with Puget sound, IL had done AZ
Il agreed whom its charter was given.
and ith land grant made. TO wit: com-
ploted iis main line to PuRe, Sound in
1870. What would now have been the
population Of Oregon and Washington.
what would now have beon the condi
t'on OF the people of this TeYritotyf
hoae questions must be- answered hy
each one for himself. II the eompla
ton 81 this road will again double oar
population ia five years. IL IL certainly
Just 10 assnme that had IL been finished
IA 1916. Oregon would have boosted a
population Of foil 100000. and this Ter.
ritory would not have been far bchind.
!" tho nan-eompletion Of tho Northern
Pacific railroad as promised. the Terri.
tory Of Washington and State of Ore.
Ron may Justly a,tribate delay in growth
both Of wealth aud population. Under
this Vie~ OF the case do the people Of
'h'S Territory owe deb, OF ersti,ude
TO the Northern paeiaof Out Of ,hs
whole twenty years since 10 was char.
tered that company has devoted but
about six years TO railroad building.
He that seeks equity mus, do eoai,v .
tas this company dealt taait, bly Inv
the Government or the people Of Wash.
ineton lerfitoryg
The railroad from Portland 10 waIlu-
Ia, which the Northern Pacific has f.,l.
ed to lease, has teen built within ,he
past five years. IL was boil, xi,hon,
EIhsIdt az tanda mr. ,,,...,..