Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-10-21
4 sSssxc sEvxxsE 81 Nh. vsss.
mEEs.

4 sTRsxc DEgxSsE ~ Nh. vesR.
| uEEs.
EDrros Posr r-Inrxr-xsxxcRs.
Your editorial Of yesterday morning.
commenting upon brisf of Mr. Voos-
hees, has greatly surprised and peinec
many OF your readerA The Poer-
fErxLExoExcks has stood forth 90 long
a. tbs able and stcadfasf ehAmpion OF
the people IN their great strugeis With
the Northern Paei6e Railroad CON-
vsny in this Territory. that We have ali
come 20 look 20 10 and trust IN IL as one
Of the msst viRiiant and effieient guard
| ians Of Cur rights and interests. Any
sign, therefors. Of faItsring or Of de-
feotion on She part Of such frisnd, at
suoh . time ~ this. 10 only too veil CAL
cuiafed 70 sprsad disnssy In she ranks
Of the people, and 70 turn shs tide Of
victory, now running with % strong a
current In our favor. directly a0airsf
us. oannos yet bring myself 10 BE-
Iieve that tbs PusT- fxrKLLfaxEcKR, 20
long conspicuous leader IN the great
battis still going on, will at this critical
hour desert to the enemy and turn its
arms against its own househoid and
followers.
What ground Is there for disfrusting
Mr.. Voorhees, or for questioning his
honesty or sincerity ? Do you point
ne 20 what you have misuamed his
illegal opinion" which forms the taxi
Of your editorial entitled Non forfeit
able 7" Very wsIl; let us oandidiy ex-
anime this portsntous document, In
order TO see what secret mischief IL may
mean.
In the first placs IL wou.d appear that
some time age Mr.. Voorhees, was en-
gagged as attorney by the n. p. X. Il.
Co tn contest before the United States
Land Office At Coifax the application
Of one VIM. 3. Ladd 20 fiie q pre- emption
decIaratory statement for q certain
tract of land living. ~ it was supposed,
within railroad limits. There was GER
tainly nothing wrong or suspicious
about that. We next find that as at
torney for the N. r. 4. II. Co. he pre-
pared and filed in this case al the Uni
ted States Land Of1ioe at Coifax certain
" objections 70 the allowance Of the
application of William 8. Ladd 10 file
upon the land above mentioned. These
objections are nothing more or less than
q brief or argument addressed by the
attorney for his client to the tribunal
before which the cause Was ofi trial,
that tribunal being the United States
Land Once at Colfax. That IL was
Mr.. Voorhees, duty 10 make out as strong
q case for bis client as 10 was in his
power to do, no man viii deny. Tue
Law applicable to the case, as laid down
by the land officers Of the Government
and certain courts. was strongly set
forth Ia these objections. Mr.. Voor
hees, no doubt, endeavored 10 make rs
strong an argument on behalf Of his
client az hs could honorabiy do upon
the facts Of the case. Az man
or lawyer he could have done
no less and have done his
duty, He was arguing the cause
OF his client before q tribunal
never known 10 decide against the rail
road company on such question as was
then before il. He cited to that tribu-
nal the decisions made by the land Of.
fices IN favor OF his client. What would
you have him do? Should Mr.. Voorhees,
have argued 10 the Colfax Office in this
way: ut IL true that the Law as ex-
pounded by theI4and Department would
give this cause to my client, bat that
law Is bad Law and you Should decide
this case against my client" And yet
daro say that there may be found law
yers hypooritical eneugh to pretend that
this nrG ument of Mr.. Voorhees,, made
under the circumstances detailed above,
shows that he Ii "unsound on the for
feiture question" | undertake to say
that gsged. by such standard, there Is
scarcely judge IN the United States
that would not stand condemned; be-
cause a. lawyers they doubtless have,
time and again, argued In favor OF prop
ositions of law which az jadges, they
would never think Of uphoiding. But
beyo all this Il must be borne in mind
that the question of the power of Con-
gress TO declare the land grant TO the
N. r. r. X. Company forfeited for the
non performanee OF the conditions Of
the grant, Was not and could not have
been raised In that case before the Col
fax office. How unfair and unjust, then,
IL is to describe this brief made by an
attorney in cause pending at the land
office as IAN unexpected and appalling
legal opinion from the Demoofatio nom
iuee for delegate In fact, as we have
seen, IL was not illegal opinion" but
o series OF objections filed, like an
answer In cause.
Bat AIR. Voorhees, record ON this rail
road question In this Territory, 30 far
from awakening our distrast, cannot
| fail to excite our admiration.
The trial Of This Ladd case and other
cases of this kind, soon revealed TO Mr..
Voorhees, the harsh. unfeeling and op-
pressive character OF this corporation.
| aud, like true man and conscientious
lawyer that he IL, he promptly threw up
| hss retainer and severed bis connection
| xith client insensibie alike 70 justice
and honesty. He left the employment
of the wealthy corporation 20 enter the
service of his poor neighhors; and
thenceforth every victim OF the greed
aud rapacity Of this company found
ready and able champion IN Mr.. Voor-
hses. when the settlers OF Whitman
County were suffering from the lieu
land robbery they appealed TO Charles
). voorhees, TO defend them. He man
folly took mp their cause. He saw II
would be necessary 10 90 to washing
ton City so fight their battle. Bat the
settlers were poor. The railroad had
already taxed them 10 the verge OF star
vasion. and they had no money to pay
for such a service. Nsthing dAunted
by this Mr.. Voorhees,, seeing and feel
inc keenly the wrongs inflicted upon
his neiehbors, goes 10 Washington Al
his own expense--amountlnQt 20 $l3u-
and, facing the swarm Of paid lobbyists
kept by the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company, boldly and ably arRaes the
cause of the roor settlers in distant
Washington Territory. Neither threats
nor honeyed words, nor eittterins
wealth had power to swerve him frou
his duty. lsnt that . record 10 b
proud of aud 10 be admired Bot this
is not bis only claim 10 our respect sne
confidence.
II 10 notorious that the Northern Pa
cifc Railroad Company in this Terri
tory acts as il 10 were above the Law
frequently acts In open and wanton de
fiance of Law. IL has usually refuses
20 pay ssy taxes 90 the counties through
| which its road rams. Mr.. VOORHEES, 1
one of those citiEsns Of the rerritor,
Who cannot ses any justice in tsxinl
the poor settlers homessead. his hors
sr his sow, or the plow or the harros
} with which he tiils his ereund, and u
nos taxing the property Of great rail
road company. When. therefore. tn
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