Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-04-04
DAILY .INTEluGENCER.
SuRJECT W~9TH 1NSEsItGs'
GGON,


tion ,hereuf. would the floating grant
in this county be affected. Fully one
half OF our available land Is covered by
this ,ndennity. Not one particle o:
! enefit can ever be derived to this roUn-
~ from the railroad. The question il
ssked. could tue land be ted Simply by
h,,Id,ro,he abort road bet veen ha!aEna
ana Tacoma! II has no connecii"h Al
a;,hsy end with the main line. BY COR
melting tbls 70 ID prIDr - l-'5 d''+ 1a'A
rn,~n,nv reach out for Fifty rnlIf- -
e,tber side. Ike some gigantic ihe1pa1,
L.an,,,g IN. land from settlement ana
the couutry from adyancta4ent. ana -
cnre all the valuable ianct SDt -
sinoi. instance mas The sCrtLern IA~.1-
railroad fulfilled its agreement. elsi4tf
WITH Congress or the peopie. "ren IL
v,s To keep its lands al the MINIMUM
nyice IL has been raised above the max
,unn. Land that should he sold al NOT
higher than 800 per acre Ia TINS couh-
~ Is held at prices ranging from = 70
x10. II the raIlro d II allowed ~ nave
the land In this county, great h1Io-
shlp will BE perpetrated upon our i'7o'
nl. AZ the very best tracts have been
grabbed by this monopoly.
ne above IL VIC { ~ ~
nal. and raises a very important qass-
ton, to-wit IL the claim OF the Nofth-
ern Pacific X. L. Go. TO a land grant tor
constructing that section OF ITS railroad
hstveen Tacoma and Kalama well
based> Was II ever given any land tor
building railroad north from Portland;
We cannot do better .han TO quote the
laws Of Congress with respect to tie
grant to this company, leaving readers
10 draw their OWL deductions.
In July, 1854. Congress enacted Sec.
3. act July 2, 1884;
That There be and hereby Is granted
to the Northern Pacific Railroad Com
paDy, its successors aud assigns. Tor Tue
purpose Of aiding Ia the construction of
SAID railroad and telegraph line To tue
Pacific Coast every alternate
section of public land, not mineral, des-
ipnated by odd numbers, to the aDount
of twenty alternate sections per mile on
each side Of said railroad line, as SAID
company may adopt, through the Tern
tories of the United States, and ten al
ternate sections of land per mile Oh
each side Of said railroad whenever 1t
passes through any State.
And provided that If, prior to the time
that the line of said road IL definitely
fixed and plat thereof filed IN the Of
fee OF the Commissioner Of the General
Land office, any of said sections shall
have been
Granted, sold, reserved, occupied by
homestead settlers or pre-enpted, or
otherwise disposed of, other lands hall
be selected by said company IN lieu
thereof, under the direction OF the SIC
rotary of the Interior, IN alternate sec
tions and designated 10y odd numbers,
not more than ten miles beyond the
limits Of said alternate sections.
These are the words of grant in the
act of 1864, upon which the Northern
Pacific Railroad Company predicates
its claim to public lands along It's line
Of railroad. They are ample to conv y
that grant, provided the company had
fulfilled its obligations In compliance
with other sections of the act.
The railroad to aid in the construction
of which this grant WAS made was, under
section of the same act, To begin
AT a point on Lake Superior, III t'4e
State of Minnesota or WISCONSIN,; thence
westerly within the territory
of the United States, on a line north ri
the forty fifth degree of latitude. to
some point on Puget Sound, with u
branch VIA the valley of the Columbia
River to a point at or near Portland, IN
the State of OreDou. LEAVING the main
trunk line at the most suitable place
not more than 800 miles from Its west
ern termlnus.'
April 10th, 1869, Congress- by joint res
olution authorized the Northern Pacific
Railroad Company
40 extend its branch line from n
point at or near Portland, Or. to some
suitable point Oh Puget Sound. TO be
determined 10y said company, and also
to connect the same with It's main line
west of the Cascade Mountains, III the
Territory of Washington prortded,
"that SAID company shall not be entitled
to any subsidy IN money. bonds or ad
ditionai lands of the United States In
respect to sand extension Ut Its branch
line ~ aforesaid, except snoh lands Ms
may be included in the right of way on
the line of such extension as 1t may be
located
1t is evident that by this resolution
the company received no grant of lands
in excess of those given by the law OF
1864, except only its righ, of way.
May 3lst, 1870, Congress passed res
olution which authorized the Northern
Pacific Railroad Company To mortgage
les property and issue bonds, to be SO
cured thereby, and
also to locate and construct un
der the provisions aud with the priv.
ileees. grants and duties provided
for IN it's act Of incorporation. 1t,
main road to some point on Puget
Sound via the valley of the Columbus
river, with the right to construct IT.
branch from some convenient point OF
its main trunk line across the Cascad,
Mountains TO Puget Sound, and In tn,
event Of there not being in any Stat,
or Territory III which said main line ol
branch may be located at the time o'
the final location thereof the amount
Of lands per mile granted ty Congress Il
said compdnv. icithia the limits ytsS,llb-a
ky lis charter. then said company shall
be entitled, under the directions of til.
Secretary Of the Interior. to receive Sc
many sections of land belonging to til,
United States and designated by odd
numbers in such State or Territory
within ten miles on each side of said
road beyond the limits prescribed ~
said charter. rs will make up such de
fciency on said main line OF branch
to the amonnt of the lands tha'
have been Hrant9d. sold. reserved. occu
pied by homestead settlers. pre- emptsd
or otherwise disposed Of subsequ.n. 70
the passage of the ac. of July ,. lssi"
1t is under and by virtue Of the pro.
visions of this resolution that claim Is
made by the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company to 2,6ss,0oo acres of land sit
uate between kalama aud Tacoma.
north and south. and extending in al
ternate sections fifty miles to tie east
and west Of its road. his land has
been set apart for the benefit Of that
company for fourteen years. by virtue
of withdrawal order of the Interior