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

earned titles. an the balance to he he'd
| and sold only at government price, and
| We earnestly beseech Congress to make
such appropriations and 10 such a man
ner as will speedily open the Columbia
river, which is the great highway of
transportation; that the land grants
l which the railroad company are now
seeking TO hold be declared forfeited
and the titles to innocent purchasers be
confirmed by the government, the rest
| sold at government price aud the money
expended in speedily completing the
Improvement OF the Columbia river,
| which alone Is In the interest of the
people.
.Reseired, That these resolutions be
printed and imnl diately sent TO both
Houses of Congress and To the Pre- sident
of the United States and Secretary of
the Interior.
Yakima sentiment expressed in mass
meeting April l2Eh:
On July "a, 1864, twenty years ago)
| Congress granted 10 the Northern Pacific
Railroad Company an immense strip of
public land ext. nding from Lake Supe-
rior westward across the continent, and
also strip of land extending along
what is known as the Cascade branch
road in Wash ngton Territory, in add
ton to that OF posIte the main line. In
tn way tie afores aid r abroad compsn7
mas been enabled to hold, As with AL
iron or Esp, nearly one-half of the pub
lio land of this Territory. Al the time
this grant was made by Congress the
northwestern coantry was wild and
comparatively uninhabited region, about
which there was but little general IN
formation, and the design of the grant
vas to encourage company of railroad
builders TO go forth as the forerunners
of civilization and enable settlers to
reach this country without being ex-
posed to the Il hangers and hardshIpa in
cident to crossing the plains in wagons.
Ii is now very generally conceded that
II was an error on the part of Congress
TO grant the public lands To @ jrpora lions
under any circumstances whatever: but,
had the railroad comp my complied with
its part of the agreement, and supplied
| the desired thoroughfare within the time
| specified, there would have been at least
| some compensation for the erroneous
and wrongful act. 1t seems apparent,
however, that the managers of the North
| ern Pacific Company Tor at least ma
| Iority of them were irresponsible spec
ulators who possessed neither the reqal-
site sagacity nor honesty of purpose,
/ nor sufficient means or credit for carry
ing out their undertaking. their great
aim appears TO have been to speculate
IN lands and townsites and stocks, and
| secure extensions of time from Congress
and other favors from the Govern poent
Land Department. In the meantime
thousands of home seeking immigrants
have toiled across the broad and thirsty
plains, and, Drawing the dangers and
enduring tie hardships of frontier life,
Eave converted the wilderness into pro
ductive farms. Without any assistance
| from the Northern Pacific Railroad,
| (which has not yet been completely
Ihese immigrants have rescued the great
northwest from roaming beasts and saw
age men, not as with the magic staff of
Moses or the tabled spear of Ithuriel,
but, with pillow and soraper and with
reeking toll, they have tapped the reluc-
tant waters at their source, and, by cou.
structiuR irrigating bitches for many
miles over barren wastes, they have con
verified deserts into fields and gardens;
and in dong this they have been forced
TO fertilIze railroad lands and enhance
their value IN order TO reach Governments
lands lying beyond. They have built
handsome sehOolhouses, and children
thai were unborn when the Northern
Pacific grant was made have been edo.
Gated in these seh0olhouses. have grad.
uated from colleges, haye married aad
nos have children of their own; and
still the Cascade branch is not CON
8 ructed' VII g have grown into
cities, aud many If their sturdy found |
ELS have long since grown weary wa ting
for the construction of the subsidized |
railroad, and have been gathered unto
their fathers IN the great continent of |
eternity-a continent which We have
reason to hope Is not traversed by I'M
earned land grants like those OF North |
Americas continent wherein there are |
no railroad sections reserved from occa- |
pancy and no false promises of early |
transportation facilities TO kindle false |
hopes or Sex their dreanless sleep. The |
lands along the proposed Cascade branch |
road have not been earned. and at this /
lais day the circumstances are such that |
these lands never can be earned by the |
simple construction OF railroad. They |
have been greatly enhanced in value. |
and this enhancement represents twenty 1
years of Toll and hardship on the part |
OF struggling frouiiersmea. Oar cult. /
waited farms. our school houses. our
churches. cur local railways. our villages l
aud sities, and the ascending smoke
from thousand furnaces and factories
and mills, proclaim 10 tie world that 1
ths great northwest has been transform
ed from wilderness without the pres
enee OF assistance OF the Northern
Pacific Railroad. which. be Il remeul.
befed, IL not yet complsts q Indeed,
10 might be sasiIy shown that the rail-
road land grant has op ,EAsed 10 rstard
rather than 10 advance the devel0pmeut
OF this Territory. ana that the presence
OF th4s grant y nos and has been for
many years standing In the way and
pteveut,nR the constipation by other
companies Of much needed thorough.
fares 10 - also a fac, ~ thiAk, that
tor several years past the late President
OF the Northern Pacific Company Who
was also president of aud sG~akhoadef
IN rival railroad down tbs Columbia
rsverl has been under pledge 10 his
associates IN the rival road NOS 20 build
the Cascade branch road until forced
70 do ~ By action IL Congress or by
thrsatsned construction Of road across
The Cascade mountains By some other
Company. In vieW OF these and unaay
other facts which might be set foFth.
ieuainR toward the same eonniuxiun.
be it
ksa led, That we earnestly petition
CungFe&a IN favor Of an ahsolate and
unenndsSsaaAl forfsstare Of all lands
nos lawtaliy or Justly earned be tho
kaan4k.s.. Da.4E. ...A I