The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-05-20

fseessod - heieu. TIE sente land eou,.
nisssoa hoard nokhine from the io<ai
board u Whatcom eoaaty unsu Nay IS.
wnen The sscsssary 81 The iceaa board. NJ.
:. ". Romano. Appeared before The STATE
land eommins5nn and offered 20 fio the
plat o. survey a. The lad applied fer by
Lester W. David, and che report AZ ap-
prsas1a thsreoa. ana STATED shst the locea
board had already 6lsd duplicate pias
and appraisal, - tbs isw rsauirss. IN The
od1cs Of The county suditor of Whascom
county.
AZ that time Mr.. Romains ~ Informed
inst The action of the Whascom county
local board tn filing its msp and appraisal
~ the once Of the county auditor va
ineeuiar. - The stats land eommisaion.
unosr IL acs March Is. 1eoe, 80 Ct
sd must hrst approve 81 the survey,
and that upon examination the survey ap-
pared irregular md vas not approved BY
the communication. Il hae not yes ben ap.
proved. Other than this application for
survey BY Mr.. David. The state land
commtsstou has record oaly at the
following: Applicatsons for estimate
Of cost of survvy Of tide lands contiguous
% fractional sections s. and 81 township
u north, range west. died By 4. A. Wad.
hams, Of Blaine, on April q. leDk and
lands tn front Of lots I. and q m section
township 20 north, range west, died by
=. W. komAins, attorney for d. DryodaIe
Blaine. April S. 1894 On these two appli.
eatIons. which It vii b noted do not
cover the same ground - those applied
Tor BY David and described above. no
aetion has been taken beyond furnishing
IN estimate Of cost d survey, . the Law
requires.
APPARENTLY the correspondent Of the
PosT-INTELLIGEsCxR thinks that eli the
tide lands at Point Roberts have
bsen surveyed and appraised. and that
any one should now have IN i'm.
mediate right 70 make applica-
ton to purchase. A . mastsr
OF fact only the lands applied
for by David have bssn surveyed, but the
survey made on David's application has
not been approved nor the record Of ap-
praisal filsd with the state land comma
sion. Until that h done and certified BY
the stats land commission TO the commis-
sioner Of public lands the latter ofIicsr
cannot entertain and de - Of record any
applications to purchase. which. - you
viii rsmsmbsfs the Law requires shall b
fled with him.
50 far - the rejection Of applications 10
purchase ere concerned. to which aliu-
sion h made in. the Posr-IKTELLIoEHcEa
dispatch, there are no applications TO pur-
chase Point Roberts land on file with the
state land commission, but the commits
missioner Of public lands. Mr.. Forrest.
states that he has received four applica-
tons only. One from Kate Weller. made
May Z. 1894; one from Ella McLennsn,
made May Is. 1894 and two from 4 A.
Wadhams. made May Z. 1894. To these
persons Mr.. Forrest has sent notics that
~ the lands applied for have not yet bssn
surveyed and appraised he can not prop
erly file their applications but will do % In
the order Of their receipt. after the APP
praisal 10 properly filed and the survey
approved. This action 10 legal and just.
It deprives no psrson Of his rights. and
these replies probably form the basis Of
the false statement that applications have
bsen rejected and that prior rights to pur-
chase have not bssn recognized. No such
actiou - stated has beeu taken.
It II hoped this statement will make
practice going on In Olympia, or that can
possibly 20 on, without most glaring,
public. bold and notorious actiou, opsn
before all the parties interested, calculated
to prevent any person from obtaining his
rights or to aid any improper person to the
damage Of individual or state. The state
land commission II not . court of last
resort, ~ some people seem to think.
Any person aggrisvsd BY its acts can
secure justice In any court In the state,
and its acts are oil matters Of Official
record, open TO any person or Newspaper
In the state.
There 10 popular impression that the
appraisal of tide lands 10 made BY the state
land commission. II 10 not The local
boards appraise oil tide lands. The one
wholly true statement in the Posr-IsrxL1I.
aKscKn dispatch Il that which says that
these Point Roberts tide lands have been
appraised - low ~ SL25 an acre. This
has besn done BY the local board
of tide land appraisers OF Whatcom
county, who the Law says shall b.
''thres disintsrested resident frssholders."
Ii the residents Of Whatcom county. to
the number Of ten. think the appraisal,
when II shall have bssn duly and legally
deposited with the county auditor. 10 too
low. will request the prosecuting attorney
Of Whstcom county to appeal from the
local boards appraisai, the Law requires
that he shall do so; and further
that no may do 20 on his
own motion, or ut the request
of the commissioner Of public lands, in .
manner prescribed 1t length In tho tide
land law (ssction 81 and that then public
hearing shall be given, with the attorney
general to represent the state II necessary.
before tho state land Commission, which
shall then examine and re-apprsise the
land, and If the appraisal by the state land
commission shalt not be regarded as high
enough an appeal from IL TO the superior
court In provided for.
OF course. Newspaper advertisement Of
the notice Of application OF purchase 10 the
great safeguard. Without such public
notice no sale wonld b legal, but even IL
newspaper publication could b. avoided,
which Is impossible. 10 would be neces-
sary for tho commissioner of public
lands and his clerks. the members
- tha sfatA land rayu mis- ufep sh>fp