Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-02-02
DAILY poST-IETElLIGEncER


uhIly MI.INI elubIUULn.
ar rns GooD woRK CO -.
Political rivalry, coupled With the
ftseary efforts Of NJ. G. p. Hunting
on, 10 doing very Rood work for tie
peopis q this session Of Congress.
From present appearances the De'ao
crssio House Of Representatives Is de-
tsrminsd 10 force upon she kspooi'eas
Ssnate an alternative. distressing 20
those noble souls who ose th7if eiec-
tion and consequent elIegiasce to iano
eraut corporations. The hspaoi'oAn
= aiority in the Senste Is to to tested
ana the public will, era tho present. 49,
sion 10 ended. be enabled 10 determine
With undoubtsd accuracy whether IN
tho opinion Of that body Of 7" grave ana
,avarsnd eeiQniors," there remain 70
the people any rights which cofpofAe
monopsliss are bound to respect. On
Wednesday the House passed two bills
declaring esftain unssrned land grants
forfeited, and restoring them TO the
public domain. The hrst vas sort OF
omnibus bill, embracing about 2,Oo .oN
aerss OF land granted 70 several South
srn and Southwestern States. 70 AID In
thu corstruoti0n Of railroads. therein
bv asts passed in 1856 and sfssrward.
The second and more important was
ths bill which declares forfeited the
grant Of about 100000 acres made -
Aid in the construction Of the Texas
Pscitic Railroad, and subsequently, A.
.;oned "a the Southern Pacific Railroad
Company. It has been evident siooe
tho beRiuniDg Of the present session
that the time had come when some
definite conelusion IN regard to these
vsst locked ~ grants must to reached.
'Chere has been growing up ana
strengthening for two years past feel.
ING that longer tri6ing on the part OF
thsse subsidizsd r0ad> would not be
endured. The land declared forfeited
By the House on Wednesday was never
earned. The grant was made fos the
purpose Of aiding to construct a CON-
uetinQ trsnoontinental road. II never
vas built. On the contrary. the own
srs Of the Central. Pacific, by various
and guccsssful methods, defeated its
construction, and meanwhile, with the
vAet profits Of the then only overland
road, constructed through line
from San Francisco to tho Gulf
Of Mexico. The southern Pacific 10 in
NO sense Q competing line. IL IL owned
~ the owners and managed by the
managers Of the Central Pacific Rail
road. Freight and passenger traffic ID
pooled and both lines are run on the
principle, first invented and adopted by
Stanford, Huntington, Csocksr q c.,
Of charging "sll the traffic will bsar."
In the face Of thess facts the claim of
The Southern Pacific to the unearnsd
land grant Of it, assiRnor, the Texas
Pseifo, was monstrously unjust. The
vote in the House ON Wednesday vas .
most noteworthy expression Of the tenn
per Of that body. such An exhibition
Of unanimity ON measure NJ impor-
taut has rarely occurred in the history
Of congressional legislation. The vote
u recorded 80 for the passage Of the
bill; emily solitary vote being cast in
tAs negative. n she Senate passes this
bill Mr.. Huntington will have An oppor-
tunity 10 make good the threat that he
would h0ht for IL before the courts
for twsnty ysArs." Conformity with The
dispstoh conveying the information
that thsss bills bad been passed by the
Heuse. came the nsws that tho Commit.
~ "a Public Lands has decided 70 70
port . bill declaring the land grant TO
the Oregon Central Railroad forfeited.
This includes nearly 100000 acres.
The road has never been commenced,
and there h no present prospect that 1t
ever will ~. Il should b restored TO
Tie public domain and thrown open for
settlement. Congress has entered upon
. good work. and Ne are not disposed
10 question ~ motives olosaly, bat arc
content 70 cay lst Il 60 on until an end
h made Of the ju9nlery and injustice
whioh have been connected with these
land grants since they we're made.
Where lands have besn earned lot them
b q ouas patented 70 the grantees, and
let those mot earned b. declared forfeit
Cd. No other result will b satisfactory.