Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-06-04

states by its Congress MAY do anv and
all acts and things which NAV be need
fui and necessary 70 ensure a speedy
completion Of the said road"
These lawyers and their Congress.
ional employees, supposine that they
can hOodwink somebody by tha,r
solemnity and affectation of learning
Rraveiy argue that by this section CON
Rtess has put it out of its power, in case
OF the company's failure to build the
road, TO do anything but take hold aad
complete the work itself. Could alb
surdity go furtherI Does may mean
shdHf Could anything be clearer than
that Section 3 reserves in the United
states an additional privilege without
imposing any new or further Obligation
IL simply enlarges the discretion Of the
Government In the case of a breach of
the condition, and every man capable of
the construction OF simple sentences
knows il.
xoU WILL SAT- now,
Granting that Congress has the right
to restore these lands TO the public do
main Is It policy TO do itY' An affirm
atlve answer Is the only one supported
by facts and reason.
During the past five years the Oregon
Railway and Navigation Company has
built on this Coast 700 miles of road,
without any subsidy in money, bonds or
lands. The larger part of this mileage
hes been built through, and in spite of
the bliRhting shadow cast by this North
ern Pacific land grant. The Oregon
Short Line has built without the aid of
any grant GOO miles westwardly towards
a junction with the d. X. d N. Com
pany's lines. All the railroads built in
Washington Territory west OF the Gas
cade Mountains, with the exception OF
the portage road from kalama to Taco-
ma, heretofore referred to, we're built
without the aid of any grant, viz: Tse
Columbia and Puget Sound X. X. (for.
merly Seattle and Walla Walla X r.
running Il miles eastwardly from Be-
attle to the Newcastle coal mines, built
in l574-lS76; the Olympia and Tenino
X. L., built IN 1875, ruHning from Olym
pia 70 Tenino, a distance of 10 miles;
what is known as the Puyallup Branch,
running 81 miles eastwsrdly from Ia
coma to the CarbonadO, Wilkeson and
South Prairie coal mines. bailt in 1877
by the Northern Pacific L. L. Co. These
short roads have done more for the
benefit of Western Washington than
any other agencies, and few railways in
the United States have greater earning
capacity per mile. In addition to those
roads, there was built last year, without
any land grant. the Puget Sound Shore
Line. runniaR from Seattle to Puyallup.
a distance of 30 miles.
From these facts il not only clearly
appears that land grants are not ne oss-
sary to ensure the speedy construction
of railroads on this coast, but that they
are positive hindrance to such con-
struction.
10 complete the sum of the iniquitiC 9
long pfactised by this corporation, Is
had the audaoity in the month of March
last TO attempt to incorporate as part of
the Cascade Branch line at this late day
the above mentioned Puyallup Branch
by securing from the Pre- .ident the ap-
pointment of Commissioners TO inspect
the same as newly located and con-
structed road. This attempt was hap
PLY discovered in time, and, upon a re-
sponsible representation of the facts
being made to him,
PRESIDENT ARTHUR PROMPTLY SUSPENDED
ACTION
Upon the report Of said Commissioners.
This thirty one miles of road, it will be
seen, ia wholly within the limits of
lands claimed To have been earned by
the construction OF the aforesaid port
age road, and was built solely as local
coal road. Physical conditions make 1t
impracticable TO use mere than ten miles
Of this thirty -one "a part of the Cas-, ade
Branch line by any route that can be
u. .xtk l,ta IN raa
any Of it by the CowlItZ Pass Reute
upon which existing Withdrawals are
made. Ii is obvious that this attempt
was made by the Company for the pur
pose of securing, by stealth and with
out consideration, patents to coal lands
in the county of King, in this Territory,
estimated by the Company's organs to
be worth more than $l0,OO0,0O0, aud to
thereby forestall any action Congress
might take at this session in the adop-
ton Of forfeiture measures.
1t would naturally be supposed from
a glance at the map that a black p III
sufficiently broad in extent had been
laid on the Territory by Withdrawals
shown thereon-the crooked, tortuous
aud angular course OF the railroad lines
being only paralleled by the conduct OF
t0a AOkuDtIN tt1Stt-Out hhO hcocs0 -
would not hs complete without the fol
lowing history from the records OF the
Interior Department OF the filing Of
Mans OF General Route and CORES
bonding Withdrawals, all this being
done without the construction OF any
railroad by the Company. Even crit.
zeal examination Of tie Compdsy's char
ter ,eiH fail 10 disclose authority for the
aYy- L..
MAPS Oh ROUTES AND WITHDRAWALS
THEREON.
First-Map of August Is, 1870, OF
main line from Lake Superior TO Puget
sound via Portland, the Puget Sound
terminus Being fixed at Bellingham bay
and the corresponding Withdrawals en'
bracinp lands as far north as the Brit
ish line. This line was definitely liked
by filing map of September IA, 1874, as
far as Tacoma.
Second-May of August IL, 1873, and
withdrawal thereon, Cascade Branch
line from a point on the main line cad
Skagit Pass To Tacoma, the western end
skirtiue along the sh res OF Puget
Sound for nearly its entire length.
Third-Map June IL, 1879, amended
Cascade Branch line ria Co,elits Pdss
on which existing Withdrawals are made
The third rsute is about ibO miles
south OF the second. The grant. IN
Guiding indemnity limits, extends u
miles on each side of the road.
Thus IL will be seen that at one ume
and another nearly the entire Territor,
has been withdrawn 10 gratffy tnt
yacilIatinc whims of los OF tmpecs
nious adventures incorporated undsi
the name of the Northern Paeine hail'
road Company. A..
such are the facts concerning tnt
gran, 90 the Northern Pacific Railroad
| Company pertaining TO the unconssruct
ed portion af its chartered tines ans
that portion Of its constructed line To-
which no grant Was intended TO o.
given. or Is given by lsw. II correctly
| construed.
MANY other portions of the pablis do
main besides this are withdraw from
entry and settlement by land grants
which havs long since lspsed, but u =
believed that the lands in no other Stat
or Territory are placed 50 completed!
under the domination Of q corporatior
As in this, by the ingenious. crooked ans
devious railroad lines vitsin its Dor
ders IL should be remembered tna
the withdrawal for the unconssructe'
| IsAs. nswax nfvistnu eXfeuds. IN