Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-10-27
ALAND OF PLENTY.
Gov. squire's Annual Report Of Affairs In
Washington Territory.

WASHINGTON, October 26.-Governol
Watson c. Squire, of Washington Terrific
~, has submitted his annual report to
the Secretary Of the Interior. The report
is long and interesting paper concerning
part of the country that has developed
many sources of wealth, but still remains
comparatively unsettled, with superb
farming lands, thousands of acres of su-
perb timber, coal, and iron mines, and
| fisheries that promise to add great deal
of wealth to the Northwest. A considera-
BILE part cf the report is devoted by Gov
enor Squire to an account of the outbreak
| in February last against the Chinese, and
his efforts to protect the Chinese in their
treaty rights He says that q spirit OF
hostility is found on the Pacific Coast
against the Chinese that is not to be dis
guised and although the citizens are loyal
| to the Government, yet in several large
towns they 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 Restriction
act, numbers of Chinese crossed the border
from British Columbia in defiance Of law,
and the Government has been unable, with
limited customs force, to expel them.
the undesirability of the Chinese as resi-
dents in large Numbers is admitted, the
Governor holding that the territory should
be settled by people who will uphold
American traditions and institutions. Gov
ernOr Sqnire did all that was possible to
protect the Chinese under treaty stipula-
tions and his efforts have been approved in
the territory and by the Administration.
Washington Territory has 2l0, 900 pOpu-
latiOn, its SO, ,944 square miles constituting
an area one and half times larger than
the State of New York. Twenty millions
of acres are timber land and 10000, 900
are prairies and plains Since the last re-
port 400 900 tons of wheat have been
shipped from the eastern part OF the Ter
ritOry. The western part includes the
finest body of timber in the world, with
fine streams, affOrding facilities for getting
it into and shipping it from Puget SOnnd.
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 successive
years. This years crop will fill 300 cars.
Oats and wheat are treated at length.
The coal output for twenty-five years has
been =, 600, 900 tons or two per cent. of the
United States coal production for one year.
British Columbia has produced in twelve
years about the same quantity. For the
reason that the people of British Columbia
employ 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. Gov.
Squire advocates the retenteOn Of the duty
of rs cents a ton on coal imported from
abroad, as the operators in the Territory are
apprehenSive 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,
atfording excellent advantages for manu-
tactureTS fSteel.
TIE Territory has about 450 miles OF
railroad and the mileage is increasing A
sketch is given of the condition OF each OF
the lines, and an account is also given OF
the roads constructed especially to get out
the logs from the timber country The
Territory has 900 schools, 30 of them
graded and 24 of them furnishing higher
instruction, and last year $500, 600 was
contributed for schools by direct taxation.
The Legislature has appropriated $4,000
for agricultural irrigation, and the Gov
ernor asks Congress to give the subject at
tentiOn and by appropriation assist i'll de-
veloping lands naturally fertile and lack
ing only irrigation to make them prOduc-
tive,
Governor Squire makes the following
formal requests on behalf of the Territory
as the desire of the people:
FirSt-The admission of Washington
into the union of States.
SecOnd-The forfeiture of all unearned
railway land grants.
Third-The enforcement of the Chinese
restriction act.
FOurth-The transfer to WaShinStOn
Territory of the northern counties of Idaho,
which'a are connected by natural lines OF
outlet and traffic with our Territory. This
in accordance with the wishes of the peO-
pie of idaho rs expressed by ballot.
Flith-The improvement Of the Column
bia river and other navigable waters.
SiX-The concentration of the Indians
upon reasonable number of acres of
land, an allotment to them Of lands
in severalty as far as practicable,
and the consequent settlement and
occupation of white settlers OF the re-
naming land now held in reservation.
YII.-The speedy settlement of all pub
lie questions affecting the status Of public
lands, whether these questions relate to
the title to the land assumed to be with
drawn by railroad company or whether
they refer to public lands upon which en-
tries have been suspended by the Govern
ment
| earnestly submit that the growth and
development of the country demand the
early adjustment of these important
questions relating to the settlement OF
lands,