Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-04-12
OFFICIAL sCerxnksIs

TIE eEieIAl Aets ssS wFssz.asIns AZ
u hesier, HarrissR e al. Csufns
20 Llght.
IL l. very evident from Via; has re-
esasS come 20 light that nsEy of the
ias' oineial acts of Secretary Teller and
bis ehisf subordinates Of the Iuter;or
Department we're in plain violation of
iAS' we're wicked and unssrapaIous, and
must be und0ns q; the earliest possible
momsnt. The first to eene on. wzs
zee backbone Land GRAFT steal. g mos.
INFAMOUS act, By which se handed over
to Huntington and sssociat@s $500
hondred Thousand acres of land "a
which they had no rishs whatever The
ns1t tnat came 20 vieV Eas the change
OF tie Northern Paciic's lines in tbs
"aiiA NAlia co12try, by which tina,
company - benefited st the exnAnsa ~
the people to the extent of = million
1nd bali dollars. Aa Official ornis-
s'lon OF ties c persons, aim 81 erim-
anal IN It's nzEurr, has heea the neglect
70 declare the lands formerly embraced
t1s Oregon &c utral grant restored
90 the p0olie domain. according 20 act
or congress. By which hundreds Of men
have bSeH kept for months from taking
these lands, thereby losing the benefits
OF whole years productions. Another
act vas, at toe request Of those good n
Trends OF tbs people, the Northern Pa
elne company, TO withhold from the
ray allup Indians the patents to their
lands, undoubtedly in order that the
northern Paciti. or Tacoma Land Com
panies might get them instead. Tbs
iast act OF perndy % Teller's part has
already been undone By his Official SUE
csssor, Secretary Lamar, to whose at
tsntlon. We sincerely trust, all other he
matters will be directed. A decision was
rendered in Yakima case. which Is an
derstood over there TO be in direct CON-
travenflon of the famous Supreme Court
decision of March ,, lss5. No one can
be made TO believe that all, or Any. Of
these acts were errors of judgment.
Iney are 50 numerous tnd 50 extraordi-
nary as - attla,t aEtebtion from all
parts OF the couatry, and from all quar-
ters and class ) e0ne loud and strong
dsnunclatIons of their psrpetrators-
except, We may add, the tools of the
great corporations soaght to be benefited.
One Of the cases thaS have most re-
Gently come to light is reported in the
following
WASHINGTON, April 6.-On March 18th
las, Acting Commissioner Harrison. of
the General Land dice, directed the
Register and Receiver of the land Office
az Los ANGELES, California, to publish
notice to the effect that thu lands in
cluded within the land grant to the
Iexss Pacific Company had been re-
stored to the pHblic domain and we're
open to settlement. On the next dAy
the following letter Was addressed 70
the Los Angeles land office:
WASHINGTON, March 18th.
Register and Receiu,r, Los 4aqelss.
California: Referring to my letter of
the 18th, wherein you were informed
that by the act OF February -, 1855. the
grant OF lands to the Texas Pacific X all
road by the act of March 3, 1871, was
declared forfeited, and the land re-
stored TO the public domain, with in-
struetion to publish notices of such
restoration, you are advised that The
landR in ths limits of the grant to aid
In the construction of branch lines of
the Southern Pacific Railroad will not
be affected by this restoration, the latter
having been constructed within the time
specified by law. Very respectfully,
LUTHER HARRIs0S,
Acting Commissioner.
SPARKS ooRRECTs THE ''ERRoR.r
On Saturday last Commissioner
Sparks wrote the following letter con
cerniug the matter to the same land
office:
MY attention having been called TO
the instructions of March 18th, have
considered the subject and find no
reason why such a letter should have
been written. The same is therefore
revoked, and YOU will be governed by
the instructions of March 18th, direct
ing you to give notice of restoration of
all lands heretofore withdrawn from
the Texas Pacific Railroad. the same
being the odd numbered sections within
twenty miles on each side of the pro
ieoted line of the road from the eastern
boundary of the State of California TO
the Pacific ocean,"
In explanation of his last action the
commissioner said: That letter of
March 18th, was highly Objectionable,
and should not have been written. II
seemingly put within reach Of the
Southern Pacific Railroad Company a
half million acres of land TO which it
had no right 3r oolor of title. l say
seemingly for the letter in reality
only reserved the land from present dis
position. | am satisfied that Harrison,
who was then acting commissioner, in
tended no wrong IN the matter. He
signed the letter without having had the
facts properly presented to him. OF
course it IS not possible for the com
missioner to examine closely every pa
psr be signs. | do not know who was at
the bottom of the matter" He added
that he intended to make a further in
vestigstion.
SIGNED WITHOUT READING.
Harrison, the Assistant Commissioner.
said the letter had been signed by him
upon a representation by Chief Clerk
ID. smith, that il vas intended to
correct an error in the original order.
Mr.. Smith had assumed the responsible
ity, and stated to lin that be believed
the suspension was repaired by tbs Sec
retary's order. Il was probably an
erreT Of iudGment.
Mr.. Saith. the Chief Clerk, declined
to make any statement at this time.
slyiuR the facts can be learned from the
error.
kII.KD THE TowS.-Yakima City, for
all practical purposes, has been killed
by the Northern Pacific Company rs