Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-05-22
DAILY T-INTElLIGENcER.
/. x.rruvsx PACIFIC COMPLAINT.

The Tacoma Ledger has been shown
letter from Mr.. Frederick Billings, for
merly President and now Direcsor OF
the Northern Pacific Railroad Company
to citizen of Tacoma, IN which lie
saws: "If the people OF "asninR'o"
Te,ritory would sustain the company
instead Of fighting it. tbs Cascade d.
v;s;on. IN which have always had faith'
wonld be carried forward to successful
completion." Undoubtedly. IL the peo
nile Of Washington Territory would ofier
NO resistance to the claim OF tnat com
nanv 10 one-third of the landed area o.
the Territory. the company would mo
II far easier TO get it. If the northern
o,,s had offered no objection To tie
a,.sy,n,ed secessioa Of the Southern
states. there would have been no diff
onItv in dividing the Union. 1T la"
abiding people generally were to SIT qu'
escent while burglars and robbers we're
plyine their vocation, the latter "oOio
find less difficulty in carrying FORWARD
their enterprises " to successful comPie-
,ion.n II the public were to raise no
obiections to the system and charges OF
the Northern Pacific Railroad Company
IL woald be less difficult for the compa-
nv TO prolong its policy of discrimina-
tion and maintain its e1tortionate
freight and passenger tariffs. The diiii-
entity under which that company laborsl
comes sooner or later to every man VINO
or corporation which endeavors IN Dc
Aauce of law and justice to appropriate
the property Of others. 1t Is dIiiicul'I
arising cut OF tn" instructive dI-ihch
nation of the public to be deprived o
property without adequate cons'dera
ton, and We opine that this sort OK re
sistance will continue 10 hamper tn
efforts Of publ, plunderers so long a
society exists. The people OF Washing
ton Territory will sustain" the North
ern Pacific Company in every legal AM
equitable demand they will protect IL
property, patronize its railroad and al
TO make it a profitable property. The
will not sust ain it in its attempt
claim a vast area of public lands M
earned in its extortionate and discriI
NATIVE tariffs in its refusal to pay d
taxes, nor in its intermeddlin9 throuR
its paid organs and agents with the p
litical affairs Of this Territory. Or
these latter it has VIGOROUSLY bee
guilty, and to any and all such acts B
this company the people of this TER
tory have duly entered most emphat
protest. That protest will be made II
telliQible and apparent, even to the pu
blind vision of the Northern Pacif
Directorate. within the next lively
month, IL we are not wofully mistaken
1t il time that not only that oompan.
but the Congress of the United State
should become aware Of the fact thu
Washington Territory IL not howliu
wilderness; that not less than 1900
American citizens have homes with
her borders, and that they intend to a
sert their rights as such, even If the
conflict with the Intentions and int
ests of huge railroad corporation
Crises sometimes occur when IT b,
comes imperative for the people to dl
card even political preferences and pa
tisan predictions for justice and sci
protection. Ii was 80 on this coast
regard to Chinese immigration. Tins
be equally necessary with regard to tn
land grant matter.