Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-06-12


sna sAsrmaa.
WAznraxax Juno II LA sha Senate
WhitlhoFn4 a4se notiee sbat On he
nex1 lezislatiaa day Be would eau ~.
for tho p1fpo1a a making SINE ~
marks On Is. the bill = promuta M po-
Iltio4l progress and comueraia1 Vros.
peKity OF tAa American naaioaa This
h hgye'a bail. rroTidinQ for a congress
Of tue AnEaTsoan untiana3
Oh mollnH pf Dolph, the Senate then
1ook up he Norihern Raeide kailroad
forfeiture bill.
George addred ne esnale On tie
BILL Commsnliug generally on ths
enofmoas uaanfity uf land. 119 0O0. COO
acres G,pan hR 0onNrem 10 FaziouG rail
road corporations from 1850 20 1876.
George sid i waa q larger nFea of land
than that oozsfffutiaR ths reRublio AZ
frln1e o. Ne empire II Germany. 1ks
present Eal1euf tne faIIruaa land Qranta,
e tha average pFioe already realised bg
The eompanies. was $11S IDS 88 The
Norlhern Paaiaa Cempamy. he said, had
eonne b OomRraas assuring Is that tha
company had power 30 build ils road
without noFl4Rro o. inoumhlanoe a.
any sort Giving tha history 81 he
Congressional legislation ID fagor o.
tha road, 0s11Re characterszsd : por-
ton Of thai leaislation as 3 great
fraud." Referring 30 stock Watering IN
o0nnsosiun with toe Northern Paciflc.
George eaid that The watering % atnok
-. - -. - -. -...I .tEZ 60
this read vas has IS q Ranlle morning
The company had Issued hundreds nf
millions Of dollars of stock 10 represent
$50 miles Of esmpieted road. Regard.
ina the asgument Of the railroads that
they would develop the csuntry. George
aIluded - she fact, which Be understood
20 Be substantially admitted b. the
NottteEn Rasls1 road, HAT the authori
ties u that company refused 10 step
the trains q nouFis1lnR towns - WASH
inRtnn XekrltaRy. anaone ihnm the larR
eat ID that session, in erabx that ita
greed for monsg % bnild up Z town
0f rs eva 10or miles away
might Be gEatihed. In that way L
cr1ahed he citizens af he cid town, and
persisted in'its refusal to stop its trains
at the old town until the courts oom
peiled then 20 stop. should The Sana-
tors 90 on and BY 4 criminal nealegt o.
their duties allow thia company 20 BE-
come the cwnef Of an area of land
equal 10 two Staiesf He protested
against any faithleasneos on The part of
Congress. He made this protest il BE-
half Of the millions Of homeless people
Of the United States.
Teller said be would vote for the for.
feiture 81 al the lands ootarminus with
the uncnmpleied portions of the road.
Congress, however, had 20 deal With the
Law and vas bound By the iaW. A. 10
tha statement that the Republican earty
had given away a large amount OF pub
lio lands since 1850, Mr.. Teller said il
was true that tbs number Of acres given
since 1850 vas greater than had been
given before, bat the money value of
the lands given By the Democratic party
before 1850 for railroads under military
and naval warrants and the swamp act,
was four fold greater than what had
been given since 1850. The grant in the
NoFthern Paeific case had been held TO
be q grant n persenti, and Il the title
had become vested By Law, Congress
could not divest it.
sherman admitted that the oompany
had forfeited the grant Of their lands
50 far Is they had not complefed the
road. He wouid not 10 any case vote 70
forfeit the Rrant where the road had be.
come e0mpieted even after the tins
6xed for tta oampletioa. Such 9 pFOpos-
ition woula Be grossly ineqaitsble. be
oauas the rights Of third parties inter
yened. C0nQEeaa not only did not for
feit the lands IN 1873, when Is had an
undoubted right 10 forfeit them. but il
allowed She company 70 40 on and build
ifa roiId, ana the 0oFarnment had 40
oepted The road piece by pieae SSH had
been bnilt. The grant thus became
complete and absolute, and Il would Be
q great wrong nov 20 forfeit lands that
had been earned.
Hoar regarded the failure referred io
as an equitable safuppei.
Van Nyck asked how Il could b. an
equitable esfoppel when The COMPANY
had repeatedly asked Congress- % ex-
tend The time for building the road aud
Congress had refused 10 do 90.
Sherman said that the mere failure 70
pass the law had nothing 70 do with Il.
He believed that Van Wyek's Rmend-
8ADAt W4NtA Jaw ~ NA4tt 0&#Atottl ~
that intended. He Mr.. SheFmanl ad.
nittsd ths right Of Congress 10 forfeit
the land along the uncomple1e1 portion
Of The Cascade mountain bfan6n. bat Il
would Be bad policy 70 forfeit iss baoaune
the land was not worth . ceul an acre.
its forfeiture would relieve the company
from completing that braneh, and 50
from bnildinR q tunnsl through the
mountains-a tunnel, the building Of
which vas of the utmost importa1ne %
the growing commofoe of tie North
west. II this bill passed, as sherman
supposed il would. be PLACED On record
The prophosy that it would relieve the
N0Siheru paqihs Oompany of fhe ex-
penditnre Of sB.o00.0o0 o. 5000. 600.
while getting back land thai vas not
worth $1,000. Thus the people Of the
Northwest would be denied eonneaiion
with he Paei6e across the Cascade
ranaA As b the great watering cf
stook referred te by Mr.. 0s0rWss HheE-
man said there was more water In Mr..
GeoERa's statement than d ne glock of
the Railroad Company. Mr.. 6hefman
said that al of ths Northern Pacific
stock Fefersd 70 b Mr.. George would
not sell foE 80. .00o, 900. the oash sexual
n paid into lt. That road had bsen
very bad investment for those who pnl
money into u.
Mitchell asked Whether as question
ct fact ConeTsE could nov forfeit The
lands u Il had happened that fhs road
lad nov bssn anfirely oompIsted.
Eustis aaid that there Was bni ona
answer. Where "a eslala Waa 10 b 40
auirsd ~ Nhs fuldilreen1 uf conditions,
tness could BE- ne euch thing as d falhll.
ment of that eendition by lnapiieafion.
TIE fnIdllmenl mast b full and con-
plete bafofs the estate eoaid pass
Thess railroad man. Lr. Eaalia con
tinned. had made foFtunee Is mugh-
Rooms aEow h ne night A ooteris of
such men had enriehad tAemwisaa A
the axpenas q the poopla o. ihe uniiad
States. Thsy did NOS ohssrEa equity.
honesty o. good faith, and aniy o0ms
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