Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-04-20
DAILY POST-INTEluCeNCER.
NOT NECESSARY FOR RAILROAD
RCIlOlNG.

NOT NECESSARY FOR RAsLR0sO
BUILDING.
The Portland Board Of Trade held
spec,al meetiaR last Thursday evening.
during which the matter Of forfeiture
of the Northern Pacifi; unearned iAno
grant was under discussion. The Board
some time since passed resolutions
aoainst forfeiture. Mr.. Goldsmi'h.
member of the Board, strenuousiy OBJ
iected ia the proposition to forfeit the
grant bet xesn Wallula ana P,rtl,nd ~
that between Ainsvo,th and Puget
Sound were TO remain ind isinrbed. he
claimed that Portland WAS entitled 10
have the main line of the Northern Ia
cifjc railroad extended 20 that CITY, ~
ranrb AZ Puget Sound was entitled TO
eastern connection by means OF the ca7-
cade division, and that If the grant III
aid of ono section vas forfel ed, thai in
aid of the other should meet Similar
fate, and per,inently asked 4; why
should the land grant in favor OF fort'
land be taken away and that given FOR
the benefit Of Puget Sound be con
frmedY"
Mr.. Goldsmith's position Is undouot-
edly correct. Portland IL as much en-
titled 20 have the Northern PAciflc rail-
road constructed to that city az are We
OF Puget Sound entitled 70 have the
Cascade branch built over here. The
error of lis position simply Ii IN assum-
inc that in either case the land grant ID
necessary to accom- ,Jlish such result.
II he had stopped for moment to con
slider, he would have remembered that
the Northern Pacific railroad has had
this land grant for twesty years, ana
that during all that time IT has not
built a mile of railroad eastward from
Portland. nor a mile Of railroad east
ward from Puget Sound which WAS IN
tended to be part of its so-oalied Gas
cade branch. He would have recalled
to mind the fact that another company
during the past five years has bnilt and
has now in operation some $50 miles OF
railroad east from Portland ; that the
Union Pacific management has mean
while constructed fully 800 miles Of first
class railroad north Of it's main line,
extending toward that city that mar
row gage road has been built from the
Willamette River southwark some w
miles, and that another company IL now
building standard gage railroad east
ward from Yaquina Bay. Also
that from Puget Sound some 40 miles
Of standard gage and about 30 miles OF
narrow gage railroad have been con
structed. In addition, II may be added
that other roads, both standard and
narrow gage, connecting with Puget
Sound at different points, have been
projected and doubt ess will bs CON
structed at al early day. IL thess facts
prove anything-and we think they have
some bearing on this subiect-they go
to show that, so far from being s.ima
lus to railroad const ruotion in this Ter
ritOry and Oregon, the land grant has
been hindrance. None of the roads
mentioned have received an acre of
public land aS subsidy, save only that
granted by general law for track and
station purposes. They have been built
as business Investments. and are al
good laying properties.
More than this. The grant to the
Northern Pacific Railroad Company
has stood in the way of railroad con
pany. With vast land grant at IT.
back, other companies have hesitated t.
enter the lists against it. This IL espt-
cially true with respect to rail connec-
ton between the waters of the Upper
Columbia and Puget Sound. Had the
land grant been declared forfeited wheI
in 1879 the company failed III its con
tract, there would today have been II
railroad from Puget Sound over th.
Cascade Mountains into the fertile
fields of Eastern Washington. Ii is not
yet too late. Portland will receive no
benefit from the continuance of The
land grant from Wallula To that city
Sho has another and better road VI
the Columbia valley than the Northern
Pacific Railroad Company will oon-
struot. The land grant claimed for
that section IL worth more to the peopl,
of Oregon and Washington Territor,
than the railroad can ever be. So 1t IL
with Puget Sound. We want a railroad
across the mountains to connect with
the great East. We are bound to hav.
one. Bat 10 accomplish this result ne
grant of lands IL necessary. The lands
are worth to tho people of this Terrltor,
far more than the railroad, especial,
in view of the fact that without them
one or more will be constructed. Tn,
time has gone by when our people viii
sit quietly by and Soc the best portion
Of the public domain surrendered to q
corporation for no reciprocal considera
ton.