Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-11-02

/ thereto:
/ Mr.. Speaker, I come 10 this house with
J A letter q authority from 4 constituency
As widely ours Il by the Shameless vii
! iainy oil railro vi domination a. any con-
! stituency represented upon this floor.
come from such a constituency instructed
20 labor, in season AMI ont OF season, to
restore 70 the public domain every acre
! of land heretofore improvidently granted
. the railroad corporations of this couu-
| Try, stopping only at the limit beyond
! which the law itself declares we may not
90.
The Northern Pacific Railroad com
pany, freehcoting comSipati On. organ
I lied in 1864 for rapine and epoils, and
| from that limo to this a loyal adherent
to this ;uniimert1l principle OF it, or
ganz ttioa, long since impressed upon
that constituency the uneGIsled atrociiy
OF rdilroli dominion over vast landed
estates, and they can well understand
and sympathize with the ill-;arins con-
dtion OF al who are so Unior'unite rs To
he sroaniog under like dcs2otl>iu. Ii
i, not strange, therefore, that nv letter
Of credit TO th,s body should contain in
structions so comprehensive hnd unequiv-
ocal.
Mr. Speaker, the time has no. yet come
when even Il temporary retreat should tie
sounded at corporate dIcta'iou. Such an
cxpedent shoui not even ha considered
until the senate shall have been forced 10
emphasize it's monopoiiStic tendencies by
openly proclliming its sabs~ryience 10
corporation interests. | rigidlr adhere to
The attitude which assumed in the forty
ninth-congress when | discussed this
question somewhat trts}tsD. | am not
in favor OF taking any step backward
thus early in the fight. The time will
undoubtedly come when Il republican
senate will determine that We must yield
to the railroad corporations of this coun-
try. Then, and not until then, will ! be
in favor OF retreating single step, "a a
t temporary expedlent, from the position
f which the democratic party has always
, maintained upon this great question. In
such an event | would he willing for the
time being to accept. in conference, the
slight concession which could be obtained
= and in the future | would vigorously
: prosecute the conflict until the last YES
F, tige Of this most uurighteous legislation
shall have been swept from the statute
books. Could have my way, and the
power to do so is undoubted, | would &C
: to the full extent suggested by my friends
r Messrs. Stone and McRae, OF the com
mittee on public lands, and take from
these corporations every acre OF land
which has not been earned by a com
= pletion OF the roads in the precise time
e prescribed in the granting acts.
f Sec. 3 Of the bill also provides:
. That ali bona fide settlers upon any o
G the land forfeited by this act are hereby
permitted and authorized to acquire title
. to not exceeding 100 acres in each case
y as homestead, under and pursuant t
:, the laws relating thereto, and in making
. final proof of such homestead, the settler
= shall be allowed for the time he ha:
!, already resided upon and cultivated the
q q same, and ii such settler is not entitled
to the benefits OF the homestead law he
. or she shall have the prior right to entel
the tract settled on not exceeding l6(
;. acres at 81 % per acre.
Z On the 30th day of May, 1885
q Congressional Record, page 5037
upon motion of Mr.. voorhees, thu
following very important amend
4 ment was added, b. the house, t.
the legislative, executive and judic
: ial appropriation bill:
81 For legislative expenses OF the Twelfth
u biennial session of the legislative Assem-
= bly, OF the territory of Washington (Which
session is authorized to meet on the sec
ond Monday of January, 1889, at l:
!, O'Clock noon, and each succeeding SEES
! sion shall meet biennially thereafter
$4,000
: The effect of this amendment wa
. to validate the act of the last legis
: lature of the territory, changing
the time of the meeting of the legis
!, lative assembly to the second Mon
/ day in January, 1889, permitting
v the members of the assembly to &C
9 to the discharge of their duties
within three months ofthe election,
with the issues, upon which they
\ were elected. freshly impressed up
i on their minds, instead Of assem-
n bling, as they are now compelled t6
: do, thirteen months after the cleo
. ton.
i Upon the motion of Senator
r Plat, chairman of the committee or
b territories Of the senate, the vail
T dating portion of this amendment,
that portion embraced in parenthe-
' ses, was stuck out. Congressional
9 Record, page 60S4) and the confer.
ence committee, subsequently, un.
l willing to do a vain thing, in max
4 ing an appropriation for the pay
f ment of the expenses of a legisla-
tGre, which had no authority, I'M
t der the law, to meet, struck out the
: entire amendment, appropriation
, and all. Through Mr.. Platts op.
position the people of this territory
have been deprived of a most salu-
> tary piece of legislation.
A bill has passed the house, and
: is now pendingin the senate, Great
, ing a commission for the adjustment
5 and settlement of Indian depreda-
ton claims. The enactment of this
measure into a law, will furnish a
, speedy and certain means of doing
, justice to the many pioneers OF
. Washington territory.