Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-02-01

I pssSsrtTE duty II Csagrs&s, on pe11lf OF
/ the pshlie. 70 regulate, BY wiss and
/ !adisioss iszislst.an, trsiEhts and fares
Z and cfsEscf Discrimination II fTslRct
( ehzrzss bsswssn terminal and i1teFHBe
1 date poirsts 90 Lbs Inns Of sll railroad
4 zizd steam navigation lines III the Unlttd
( ssstes, zad 20 bid in check and Fesst4ir
7 railroad and all osbsT kinds Of CORPORA
/ tsona II. sletr combined efforts 70 eLiort
! us iast iribute from the people before
I ftlsy s5taiH HHc0n srVilsble power. And
I b. ts further
/ kessiesa. That z copy Of these resoln-
I ttgns be sent 50 the President q The
/ United Ststea, the President pro ten. Of
| the Senate sHzi tie Speaker q the House
Of Representatives
The united ssnsl@eni Of The people Of
King county, expressed III a great meet
ing 10 she city Of seattle March I'd:
wHERgas. On July "a. lss'4 Congress
granted 20 the Northern PaeIhc Rail
road Company lands 20 AID such com
pauy 10 the constr ncti0a Of railroad
| from Lake S1perioE u Puget Sound;
aLd
wHRRRAs. TIE original grant was
/ large and valuable enough 20 have
| constructed the entire line Of road
witain the time specified IN the grant
Iug act, without other help. bad the
grant and franchise been administered
/ b. responsible, honest and prudent
men OF even ordinary business ca,
| pacity, and
| WHEREAS, Nearly twenty years have
| elapsed since said grant was made. and
not one mile Of road has been built vest
| Of the Cascade range that was or Is hon
e-tiy intended to be a part Of said line
Of road ar originally chartered, or, IN
| fact. has any road at all been built by
- 4 company IN the Territory Of Wash
inQton west Of Wallnla, except small
local roads Of no practical benefit to the
Cove. nmsHt or the people Of this Terri
| tory; and
WHEEEAs. Said company has at no
| time, during said period of twenty years,
/ made any edsrt 10 good faith 80 con-
stTuct it, chartered tines OF road in this
Territory according to the intent Of Con
gFess, bat, on the CONTRARY, has pursued
a policy thai has been and IL constant
menace to any other company desiring
l to build roaGs in said Territory; and
said grant has been continuously used
| by said company, by the favor OF the In
terror Department, 40 an instrument to
retaTd the settlement, growth and devel-
| Opment of the Territory, by floating its
grant over about three-fourths of the
Territory by the filing Of maps of gen
eral route trial lines proposed
lines" and amended lines" con-
| PLEASANT Department, without warrant
Of Law. making Withdrawals Of lands
| for forty miles on each side of the
lines, ~ laid down in these several
| filings; and
WHEKEAs, Millions OF acres OF the
| public domains ars withheld from entry
and settlement along the constructed
and anoonstracted line of said railroad,
to which it has no equitable claim, not
having earned them IN accordance With
either the letter or spirit of the granting
aot-iandB worth more than 81 10000
being - withheld in this county alone.
claimed TO have been earned by the
building Of thirty -one miles of road. the
ma ioF cart of which cannot be used az
part of the Cascade branch line. aud the
whole of which was ia fact built ~ local
oosl road aud is entirely within the linn
its Of lands claimed to be earned ty the
bniidinR Of the line from Tacoma to
/ haiamH. and
WHEREAS, Said Northern Pacific Rail
road Company. IN selling its so calie d
/ earned lands, has always made and con-
times To make reservations ia its deeds
OF rights and privileges in itself, and
| imposes upon the settler conditions
which must prove serious drawback to
the settlement and continued prosperity
OF the country within and far beyond
the granted limits; these obnoxious and
insufficient deeds reserve TO said com
pany the right IL build fumes and rail.
road lines over the land. reserving for
the latter u strip OF land 400 feet wide.
anc requiring the purchaser to fence
along said railroad lines; they also re.
| serve all tie minerals and the right TO
mIne the same, and provide that, should
the purchaser fail In any respect 90 com,
| ply with the conditions therein, be shall
forfeit the land, thereby giving him but
shadow Of title, of no commercial
value. BY 80 reseryinR all minerals
the company controls absolutely the
entire coal deposits along its line, and
prevents wholesome competition in
an article OF absolute necessity 60 the
whole people.
WHEREAS, Congress intended, In
granting such magnificent empire of
land 10 this company, to gain some
corresponding compensation TO the
people by opening up aud developing
the country and securing the benefits.
through competition, of just aud rea
sonaltle rates Of transportation, which
any corporation 50 generously and mu
ntnceDtiy endowed could richly afford
to give; and
waEgKAs Immediately upon the in
stitution of through traffic over its line.
the Northern Pacific Railroad Company
entered into an agreement with the
managers OF tho two other tFansconti.
mental reads far the avowed purpose of
avoiding composition and Of adopting
aud perpetuAting the discriminating and
extorttonsie freight and passenger tariffs
heretofore established and maintained
by said companies. thus affording no re
lief to elti2sns Of the Pacific coast, aud
defeating the said benshcent intent of
Cougress; and
Railroad Company has added TO this
injustice by adopting a system Of tar.
ills AZ once oppressive, discriminating
and destructive 20 the establishment
aud extension Of trade aud manueac
haAVH HtRAik TIN tiHcs By OhtIktBK ~ All
interior points through traffic rates 20
It's tefmini, Plus local rates back 10 the
place of consignment, thus compelling
payment Of the larger suu for the lesser
service, policy and practise manifestly
insqnitablo and injurious; and
WHEREAs, On or about the TAB day OF
February the accredited agent of the
Northern Pacific Railroad came 20 tAls
city and, after two days Of earnest labor
with and solicitation Of the member
OF the Chamber of Commerce, induced
them TO reluctantly, and against their
convictions, adopt resolutions againss
the forfeiture OF the grant Ia said com.
pany; and
WHEREAs, Said resolutions we're NOT
! then and are not nov expressive Of thr
sentiments Of the people ~ this eity and
county. or ind ed Of the members Of the
said Chamber. az - evidenced by the fact
thai nearly all Of the members thar~of
are active participants in this meetine.
and endorse the sentiments Of thee res.
ointhanss aud
MHSRFAs. There is traffic enough to
pay very large percentage upon the fair
aud Reasonable cost Of any ssusiblv 10
Gated road from Puget Sound across the
Cascade rance 30 ksstefn Washineton
and Idaho. and any company would BE-
mhniacently resampensed for baiIdine