, 1890-11-20
THE TIDE LANDS
The Peoples Property
Again in Jeopardy.
MILLIONS AT STAKE.
An Honest Harbor Strip
Commission.
THE PRESS Is AGAINST THEM
Denied q Hearing in the Seattle
Papers, They Turn to the
Review.
THE PRESS IS AGAINST THEM

announced In these dispatches. the har-
Dor line commission have been brought
to full stop by the action of Mr.. Yes.
ler, the wealthiest man in the city, and
an old pioneer, in successfully appealing
to the courts to issue an injunction re-
straining the commission from locating
q 600-foot harbor strip in such way as
to cut in two his wharf, built years ago
upon the tide lands of the state.
Millions of dollars are involved in this
controversy. The question ut issue Is
whether the harbor front of this city
shall be reserved to tho state for the use
Of commerce, as provided by the con-
stitution. or pass into the hands OF cor
porations and wealthy individuals, and
by them and their heirs and assigns be
forever employed as tax upon the
growing commerce OF great state.
The peoples property is thus placed
I'm jeopardy. Mr.. Yesler and other In e
terested persons want the harbor line
commission to locate narrow strip out
where nobody will ever want to build u
wharf, and leave tn thom tho perpetual
taxation of the commerce of tho state
and city. They want hareor strip
away out in Elliott bay where 1t will be
worthless and will not interfere with
their pleasant monopoly. They seem to
think that the constitutional convention
was only joking when 1t reserved this
valuable strip.
The Seattle papers not only take sides
against the people and the true inter
ests of their city, but roundly abuse the
harbor line commission for performing
its sworn duty to the state instead ol
consulting the personal interests of a
greedy clique. The Post.IntelIigencer
has been particularly Jealous in pleading
for the cause Of this clique against the
people.
In answer to repeated attacks in that
paper Mr.. William +. Prosscr, one o.
the commissioners, wrote the following
letter and sent IL TO the Post-1ntelligen-
Ger for publication ~ was rejected. II
is now sent to the REVIEW, In remem-
brance of the stand taken by that paper
when tho tide land question was before
the legislature,
To the Editor of the Post. Intelli gencer
When the work of the harbor line com.
mission was interrupted n few days ago
by legal proceedings, 1t had been my
purpose, as member OF that commits
mission, not to sny anything with
reference to tho questions at issue until
they had been passed upon by the
courts. but the severe criticism which
you and others have seen proper tc
sufficient to justify brief statement by
way of explanation With arequest that
the same may DO published in the
columns of the Post.lntelli igencer.
| desire also to sny that In making
this statement l shall endenvor to avoid
any unnecessary reference to the violent
abuse which has been heaped upon
mem bers of the com mission for the man
ner in which they have sought to dis
charge the important and responsible
duties which have been imposed upon
them, or to falsehoods and misrepresen-
tations which have been circulated In re-
gard to their action, knowing very well
that these things, like "the flowers oi
spring, have nothing to do with the case.
A temperate and dispnssionato review
OF the lending facts and circumstances
connected with the commission and its
work may be useful in arriving at just
and proper conclusions in regard ia
both.
The commission was appointed by the
governor, completed its organization In
tine month of July last and immedi'
ately began tho work for which 1t was
created, In accordance with the acts oi
the last legislature.
Its duty as prescribed by the constitu
tion of the state of Washington Is 'to
locate and establish harbor lines in the
navigable waters OF all harbors, estuaries,
DAYS Wuu lIltts VI ihls hthNt, WbtttNtl
such nnvigablc waters be within, or In
front Of the corporate limits of any city
or within one mile thereof, on either
side These harbor lines shall be from
fifty to six hundred feet wide. "as the
commission shall determine" and tho
constitution further provides that none
ofthe area within these lines shall ''bt
sold or granted by the state, nor its
right to control the same relinquished
hut such area shall he forever reserved
for landings. wharves, streets and Other
conveniences of navigation and com
merce."
Section 2 of the same article Of the
constitution says that "thc legislature
shall provide general laws for the leasing
of the right to build and maintain
wharves, docks and other structures,
upon the areas mentioned in section 1 o.
this article, but no lease shall be made
for any term longer than thirty years, OIL
the legislature may provide by general
laws for the building and maintaining
upon such nrea wharves, docks and othei
structures
Section 3 reads as follows: "Muuici
pal corporations shall have the right to
extend their streets over intervening tide
lands to and across the area reserved as
herein provided
Subsequently the harbor line com mis-
sion was instructed and directed by an
act OF the legislature to locate ana es-
tablishwater-ways,w which might bc from
fifty TO 1000 feet wide, in the discretion
of the commission, which might serve
either as outlets for streams or rivers. oil
for the convenience OF commerce.
In view OF the fact that Seattle Is the
largest city in the state, the city having
the greatest number and variety Of com
mercial interests, that in or adjacent
thereto are exten sive tide flats to he sold
by the state, as soon as the harbor line
should be 'located and established" and
that large numbers of men were waiting
to acquire titles to these tide lands fol
he purpose OF establishing thereon
various Industrial and manufacturing
enterprises of great importance To the
city and state, the commission deemed
1t advisable to begin its labors in that
city. and there to locate and establish
the harbor lines and waterways, as pre-
scribod by law, rs aoon MS practicable IN
order that these proposed enterprises
might 20 forward with as little delay rs
practicable. At the same Its members
were deeply sensible of the gravity o
the situation and of the importance o
the interests intrusted In thcir care
They determined to move with the
greatest caution and deiiberation. realiz
Ing the fact that mistakes on their part
might be disastrous either to present in
terests or to the future commercial great
ness of the city and state. They availod
themselves of all the legal informat ito,
they could obtain with reference to the
precise status of the property interests
involved, in any decision they might be
compelled to make, In the deiermina-
tion of the intricate questions presented
to them for their decision, In the course