, 1890-02-20
LEGISLATORS, PAUSE.
Investigate Before You Vote
Away the Tide Lands.
FACTS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW.
And Knowing Which You Can
Not Vote Away the States
Property.

Section 10 of the tide land bill,
Just reported by the special tide
land committee, Is substantially ly
taken from the Clark bill aud reads
as follows:
Section l0-The owner or owners OF
said lands fronting upon or bounded by
the shore Of the Pacific ocean, or OF any
bay, harbor, inlet, lake or water course,
shall have the pre-emptive right ior
ninety days following the iinal iiling oi
any appraisal Of any tide lands to pur-
chase all or any part of the tide lands In
front ol the lands so owned; provided
that II valuable improvements in actual
use for commerce, trade or business
have been made upon said tide lands by
any person, association or corporation
claiming by, through or under the
owner of the abutting upland or any
previous grantee OF such upland owner,
the owner OF such Improvements shall
have the exclusive night to purchase tho
land so improved for the period alore-
said,
DO you know what tho words sin
front Off means in that section?
DO you know that nearly all the
valuable tide lands in the state lie
in harbors shaped somewhat like "a
horseshoe?
Do you know that particular
acre ut the center of such harbor
would lie sin front or every lot or
parcel of ground on the entire shore
line of such harboT? DO you know
that that section would be construed
by the courts to give every lot
owner on the shore line strip of
ground reaching from his lot out 20
deep water varying in length from
II few rods to few miles, and that
the sides of such strip would con-
verge from the shore to the center
50 that at the harbor line II would
he only fraction of its width at the
shore?
DO you know that no two OF such
stripes would he parallel, but would
all converge TO IA common Center'
Do you know that the constitu-
ton has already given the different
cities in the state the right to eN-
tend their streets across the tide
lands?
And do you know that this bill
would grant to private individuals
the same ground which the people
by their constitution have already
granted to such cities for streets?
If you will examine a map Of the
city of Seattle you will notice that
the shore of Elliot bay is skirted by
n railroad.
Do YOU know how many hun
dreds of acres Of the tide lands In
Elliot bay lie "in front or the
right of way of that railroad?
You will also notice that several
additions To Seattle have been plat
ted out ON the water In defiance of
aw and good morals.
DO you know whether the auda-
cious claims advanced by the indi-
viduals who have done this plating
are the same ms the "vcstcd rights"
which members Of the tide land
committee ure reported as asserting?
DO you know how many acres Of
these tide lands, which belong to
tho people and which one citizen
has just MS good II right to buy as
another, would pass to these cormO-
rants by virtue of section 10!
II you will stand ON the vcranda
of the Tacoma hotel you will OH
serve that gigantic sawmill stands
on the shore and has spread It's
yards, Outbuilliugs and appur,c-
nancea down to the waters CdgC,
and has extended its wharves nearly
two miles out to deep water.
DO you know how many acres of
thesc tide lands lie ain front Of the
lands owned by this mill company?
DO YOU know who the officers Of
that mill company are?
You will also notice that mil-
road skirts the shore in front of
Tacoma for "A long distance. DO you
know how much of the lands will
pass to that railroad company 10y
virtue of this section?
Do YOU know who addressed the
tide-land committee mt Tacoma?
Who ut Seattle? Do you know
how many of these person We're di-
roctly interested in the result Of this
bill? Do you know whether this
committee heard a single individual
at either place who was not directly
interested either personally oras the
reprcsontative of others? If they
were interested, do you regard their
statements ~ an expression of the
sentiments Of the public TO whom
these lands belong?
DO you know whether any Of your
members are directly interested In
the result Of this bill, and If so how
many?
DO YOU know whether any MEM
bers of this special tide land commit
tee will profit by the passage of this
bill?
If You do not know the answer to
all the foregoing inquiries, do you
know that the people Of this state
will hold you responsible for not as
certaining them before voting to
place their necks under the yoke
that has been fashioned for them?
DO you know that If these lands
were sold at auction to the highest
bidder they would fall into the
hands Of persons who wanted or
needed them most and would be
most likely to improve them?
And do you know that If disposed
of according TO the provisions Of this
bill they would largely fall into the
hands oi wealthy and greedy specu-
lators, who would tighten the cinch