, 1886-11-11
Gov Squire at Washington.

report To the Secretary Of the 1nterI- I
n. 1t i a long and interesting paper /
Gonc'ruiug part Of the country thai /
has developed many sources of wealth |
but still remains comparatively Un-
settled, with superb farming lands, !
timber, coal, iron, and fisheries that
add greatly to the wealth of the new
Northwest. \ considerable part of
the report i devoted to an account of
the outbreak in February last against
the Chinese, and the Governors eff
forts to protect Chinese in their treaty
rights. He says that spirit of hos
ulty i found or the Pacific coast
against the Chinese that Is not to be
disguised; and although the citizens
are loyal to the government. yet IN
several large towns the incline TO be
lenIent to those who are hostile, and
it Is difficult to secure the conviction
Of offenders against the law. This
feeling has been aggravated by the
fact that, notwithstanding, the Re
strictIon act, numbers of Chinese
cross the border from British Colum.
bia in defiance of law, and the gov
sTnment has been unable with the
limited customs force, to expel them.
The undesirability Of the Chinese as
residents is admitted; the Governor
bOlding the opinion that the terri
tory should he settled by people who
sill uphold American traditions and
institutions. Gov Squire did all
that was possible to protect the
Chinese under treaty stipulations,
and his efforts have been approved
in the territory by the administration
Washington territory has 100000
population, its 69,9i4 square miles
constituting an area one and half
times larger than the state Of New
York. Twenty millions OF acres are
timber land and 100000 are
prairie and plains. Since the last
report 100000 tons of wheat have
been shipped from the eastern part of
the territory. The western part in
eludes the finest body of timber in
the world. with fine streams afforiing
facilities for getting it into and ship
ping it from Puget Sound. Hops
from the Puget Sound country, where
land yields 1000 pounds to the acre
and sometimes $500 pounds, have
been raised for ten or twelve success
sive Years. The yield of the present
year has been in demand by Eastern
buyers from New York and Wiscon-
sin, and can be shipped at less than
II cents per pound from Puget Sound
to New York. The crop will make
10000 bales and will fill 300 freight
cars. Oats, coal and wheat are
treated at length. The coal output
for twenty five years has been 2,600,
600 tons, or two per cent. of the
United States coal prodpction for
one year. British Columbia has
produced in twelve years about the
same quantity For the reason that
the people of British Columbia en-
ploy Chinese labor, and also because
of the excellence of their coal there
has been strong competition IN the
markets Of the United States on
the Pacific coast. Governor Squire
advocates the retention of the duty
of IS cenls ton on coal imported
from abrood, as the operations in
the territory are apprehensiye
that an effort to abolish the duty
Will be made by those interested in
the mines of British Columbia. Coal,
iron and lime are found in close
neighborhood, affording excellent adj
vantages for manufacturers of steel
The Territory has about 450 miles
of railroad and the mileage is in
creasing. A sketch as given of the
condition of each of the lines and an
account is given of the roads con
strUcted especially to get out the
logs from the timber country. The
Territory has 900 common schools, 35
of them graded and "a furnishing
higher instruction, and last year $780,
600 was contributed for schools by
direct taxation. The legislature mas
appropriated $4,000 for artificial irri-
CATION, and the governor asks con
gress to give the subject attention
and by appropriation to assist in de-
veloping lands naturally fertile and
lacking only irrigation to make them
productive Gov Squire makes the
following formal requests on behalf
of the Territory as the desire of the
people:
l. The admission of Washington
lilIO IiS VI SIdLcS
2. The forfeiture of all unearned
railway land grants.
3. The enforcement of the Chi.
nese restriction act.
4. The transfer to Washington
Territory of the northern counties of
Idaho, which are connected by natur
al lines OF outlet and traffic with our
Territory This is in accordance
with the wishes of the people of
Idaho, as expressed by ballot.
5. The improvement of the Col
umbia river and other navigable |
waters.
The concentration OF the Indians
upon reasonable areas of land, an al |
lotment to them OF lands in severalty
as far as practicable, and the conse-
quent settlement and occupation by
white settlers of the remaining land |
now held in reservation.
I. The speedy settlement of all
public questions affecting the status
OF public lands, whether these ques-
tions relate to the title to lands as
sumed to be Withdrawn by railroad |
company or whether they refer to |
public lands upon which entries have
been suspended by the government.
OregOnidn: The democratic scheme
to capture the national senate, as out |
lined in our dispatches, is very anus |
ing The assumption that Wash |
lDOtOn Territory If ma6a into n Sto+o |