The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-08-19
THE WEEKS WORK.
Review Of the Changes in
the Land Article.
rRorIsross GREATLY aIrEREp

PRopISroSs GREATLY -sIrEREp.
Five Arsiesea Di.rss~d ef parfsx
the wsek-whss state eiee-
tisss WIN be Held.
oHyNsfa. Aug lS-The article on
public lands. after suffering the ordeal
OF discussion. alteration and amend
naent during three fun days. now pre-
s<nts Strangely transformed appear
snee from that smocih-eaaing docu-
ment which was introduced sone days
ago. The structure was reared with
great care and tabor By The committee,
and. though wanting ia aefiniteness
in some parts, IL was slightly and fairly
we'll modelled, and so arranged as 10
meet the least amount OF objection
from the critical mechanics compris-
ing the convention. But i, has been
so patched and altered, added 60 and
taken from. torn down and built up.
that II is nothing more than n queer
comrosiseof miraculous incongruities.
The edisice, il Is feared, will prove also
10 have been pullf on sand when
ii comes 10 withstand the great Hood
OF objection that it is sure 10 meet
with tomorrow. IL il stands. il will
Sc; at naught the prophecies of nearly
ali the soothSRyeys who have watched
its devious course through the con.
ventlon, and who are anxiously await
ing It's downfaii when the finsl test is
reached.
Section OF the article originally
provided that none Of the public lands
of the state be disposed OF except at
their fall market yalge. To this was
added a long double proviso that the
legislature may donate certain lands
to the government for purposes of
public protection. The section was
taken from the California constitution.
and provided simpiy that the right of
access 10 nayigable wafer, over titie or
shore lands, should never be denied
the public. This was entirely ahol-
ished and Turner's substitute, making
broad and sweeping assertion OF the
states ownership of the tide lands
and repudiatiug the acts of any Of the
state officers or agents who had at
tempted to impeaeh thai ownership,
was accepted. Then in the original
the subject of tide lands Was entirely
dropped until il came up again i'm the
final section relating To United States
patents. The convention inserted
after the second an additional section
disclaimins any title or interest in any
tide lands covered by United States
patents. Another new section, pro-
viding that the legislature must pass
upon any act seeking To dispose of the
tide lands before it could he validated,
was inserted in the article. This,
however, was afterwards reconsidered
and dropped.
Section 5, disposing Of the school
lands. had tackled upon it proviso
confirming the patents OF LANDS sold
by the territory. together with =
clause that on the sale of
these lands any chance improve
ment thereon benos considered.
Section 4 was modified by allowing
only the sale of certain part of each
section OF the lands before lso5 and
1900. Section I, about lands near incor-
porated towns, was the one provision
that was left practically unchanged,
but new section was joined to il
directing how il should he construed
Then, To cap the climax. section 8 was
added to the article. Ii directs that
tide lands containing improve
ments belonging To the shofe-owner
shall be sold, the shore-owner securing
the priority right of purchase. Ii viii
be noted that there is not another
provision in the article that is not
based upon the condition that the
legislature may decide to sell the lands
or not, no limitation upon its author
ity to do a. it pleases being laid down
III any other instance.
Section o was the clause that was
beaten on Friday night. On Saturday
the convention suffered remarkable
lapse Of judgment and indorsed the
amendment by heavy vote. The
reason is palpable. II was supported
largely bv Eastern delegates for the
purpose OF aiding i'm the defeat OF the
entire article when the time comes.
That will be tomorrow, when final
passage will be reached and the propo-
sition will be voted up or voted down
The grounds of opposition TO the
proposition are as varied as the amend
ments and changes which have been
made. There ia hardly enc that has
not aiienated the support of some one
who had advocated other provisions OF
the bili. This is the substance of the
talk and threats which have been
made here yesterday and to-day. but
the public lands article is not defeated
yet.
While the week was the most tire
some which has been passed. q con-
siderable amount of work was per-
formed. The articles on harbor, tide
waters and navigable streams, on
elections and elective rights. on appor-
tionment, on state medicine and pub
tic health. and mines and mining,
have been disposed of. The latter
was defeated, its provisions being en-
tirely legislative. With II went pro-
vision for an eighthour law for
miners and for the maintenance OF
the office OF mining inspector. Dyer
one day attempted TO give notice of a
motion 10 reconsider, but he was ruled
out Of order Manly, chairman OF the
committee, is content to let the mat
ter rest where IL Is. so it Is not proha
BILE that any effort viii be made TO
pass any new proposition.
The article on elections and elective
rights came near meeting the same
fate a. that on mining. IL failed from
lack Of a majority of all the votes of
the convention. though IL had four
more than those received against IL,
The cause OF the defeat Is well known
ta have h<en the opposition by the
Democrats combined W 'th the woman
suffragists-
The sutYragists did not like the man
ner in which their cause was treated
and the Democrats somehow got il
into their heads that they wanted the
special vote on TIE amendment taken,
40 between the two the article was
beaten. The subject matter
was refe Yrea to tie committee
and new article prepared, but re-
I consideration vas permitted. the OBJ
/ iectiona,sle section amended BIS insert
I ing fsSe instead OF IL @. and then the
/ Republicans and Democrats were
united In carrying II through. The
woman safirsgis:s still had objections
bGt they were net regarded by the