Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-06-13

East Orpeonian.l

East OreRonisn-l
IL = reported that the Northern Pa
cine Railroad Company 10 now or1ani-
ElrR two parties, oae to 90 10 Cmatilla
Counfy and the other TO 90 TO Yakima
Coonty, for the purpose of grading the
Northern Pacific Railroad lands, pre-
parafory 20 placing them en- the market.
Inis IL JOB which peopie have expect
ed. and which they will witness quietly.
Yet for less grievances than those i'm
Piled oy this announcement, whols IA
lions nave become involved IN war.
That the people Of this country 60
peaceably, IL not quite silently. about
their business, submitting with scarcely
protest 20 most au7acious and eigan-
TIC robbery By the meR elected 20 serve
them and protect their interests, Is con-
elusive proof that they are either wofal-
iy ignorant or wonderfully patient.
Lss as glance very briefiyt at a few Of
tie prominent facts in tnis shameful
business Twenty years ago Congress.
70 AID IN the construction of the North
ern Pacific Railroad from Lake Supe-
nor to Portland and Puget Sound,
granted that company about 100000
acres OF the pubic domain along the
line Of the proposed road. with the ex-
press condition that the road should be
completed by July 4th. 1876. The road
vas not completed according TO this
contract, and some people were SO fool
ish as TO suppose that therefore the oom-
pssny had forfeited their rights to the
land. But the authorities held other
wise, and asserted that the condition
vas OF no force. Ii was then the plain
duty OF the servants of the people to
pass an sct of forfeiture of these lands
or else extend the time. They did the
latter, and gave the company additional
time, but agail the limit ran out, and
the road was not Yet built according to
agreement. Still eur Representatives
did not take any action In the interest
OF settlers. In 1863 they authorized the
company to extend its branch line
from point at or near Portland to
some suitable point on Puget Sound,
and also To connect the same with its
main line west of the Cascade noun
tains, but provided that no subsidy in
money, bonds, or addi ionaI lands
should be obtained therefor. But the
next year authority to issue bonds and
give MORTGAGES was given, and also to
build the main line TO Puget Sound via
the valley of the Columbia river, with a
branch line across the Cascade noun
taiRs; and by this piece of leoerdemain
the claim was laid for an immense body
OF land IN Oregon and Washington Ter
ritorv, IN addition to what had been
granted before.
Still time ran on; settlers crowded
into the country and settled up-
on and improved the lands.
and still our Representatives wers
chiefly interested IN protecting this
company at the expense of the people.
But after awhile another company
without any subsidy, built q road up
she Columbia River valley, connecting
with the Northern Pacific at Walluls.
The Northern Pacific have not only
never built their road down the Column
bia, bat never will, and do not intend
TO, there being no longer any demand
for 1t, nor, indeed, any room for il.
Neither have they built their branch
line over the Cascades, and there ia no
prospect OF their doing so for several
years TO come at least. In the last few
years about 1900 miles of difficult and
expensive railroads have been built ON
this coast by other companies without
any land grants, and yet this COMPANY
who have not built the road they agreed
to, and are not intending to build it,
are clinging to these millions of acres
of land. Notice in what other PARTON
lar your Representatives have BETRAYED
you. Twenty years ago they said the
settler going upon government land
within twenty miles of this paper rail-
road should pay double price for the
land. Instead of Sl.25 Der acre he
must pay $3.50. In other words, the
settlers along this road must pay for
she advantage of living near il, and re-
imburse the government for its donation
to the company, and this 20 years before
they were permitted to enjoy the ad.
vantage thus promised them. But
though Congress was very careful to re-
quire the settler to pay dearly for this
visionary advantage, equal care was
taken not to restrict the company in the
disposal of the odd sections. Thew
could sell them in tracts of thousand
or million acres, if they chose, TO for
eIgners, who would set up system of
feuialisu or landlordsm in our midst.
They could put whatever price they
chose upon the land, obliging a settler
who only wanted a quarter section to
pay IS an acre, when the English lord
had perhaps paid thsm only 81. Worse
still, they could hold out Inducements
to settlers to settle upon and improve
the lands, saying that they would be
sold at $500 an acre, aud when i'm
proved put the price up SO as TO make
the settler pay for his improvements
the second time, or else abandon them
ts the company. In all this legislation
the company was given every possible
| advantage, and the settler none. except
the false promise OF road, and the false
promise of cheap homes. That this
company held out these Inducements
has been abandantly proven. But in
this as in almost everything else it has
been false TO its promises. 1t has de-
ceived the settler. Ii has made him pay
three, five, eight or ten dollars AN acre.
And now they are TO come into Umatilla
County, grading land to which they
have no more right than they have to
the cattle upon our hills or the books
| upon our shelves. They have broken
their every agreement.
| They have retained legal possession
| OF these sections because OF an unjust,
unholy, treacherous and damnabie CON
| spiracy with our false Representatives
in Congress. Your decisions and quib-
bles aud Quiddities and evasions and
su'terfuges are all of a piece, and are
deserving of nothing but contempt and
derision. The public domain is public
property. Ii Is public heritage. 1t ia
the sacred heritage of every citizen. No
false Representative or officer or Judge
should be permitted to become q party
TO base conspiracy to rob the people
OF this heritage. We are not bound by
the bargains of traitors TO rs and our
homes. No people ought TO be thus
bound. And when traitorous servants
attempt to thus bind them, there Ia oc-
casion for revolt. The people should
not submit. Have You not been led to
believe that you could boy these lands
for $3.50 per acre at the most? You
have made them worth $40 or $40 NJ 2