The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-18

The land commissioner OF the Northern
Pacific railroad announces that the land
department 81 that road viii for the fs-
ture pursue a more liberal policy towards
settlers. by making moderate prices and
liberal terms IS regards the sale OF lands
II is 10 be hoped that the policy thus
outlined will be consistently carried out
In the long run the material interests CT
the company VIII greatly benefit by H.
Indeed. there Is little question that II
the railroad company were 10 donate ey-
cry acre OF it's arabic lands in small
blocks 10 actual settlers. under provisions
similar 20 those Of the United states
homestead laws as regards residence and
cultivation. the company. from the stand
point OF pecunsary returns alone, would
make a more profitable investment than
II IL retained the same lands for ten years
and then sold at double the prices at
which they are at present graded.
II is not difficult 20 see why this Is
true The average yield OF the good
wheat lands In the Paiouse region. for
example. ia fully one ton per acre. Ev-
cry additional acre put In wheat means
that much more for export, and every
ton shipped over the railroad pays the
railroad from $40 TO s.. Thus each acre
In wheat adds in the neighborhood or =
20 the gross earnings OF the railroad COM
pany. In Western Washington the pro-
portlonate earnings OF the railroad from
handling an acre OF farm products are
much higher.
The company has not pursued this poll
cy In the past and IL is an open question
whether the existence of the land grant
20 the Northern Pacific Railroad Com
pany has not in the past done more TO
retard the growth and development OF the
country than the building of the road has
done TO advance them
From $50 until 1877 nearly every acre
OF land in the then territory was covered
by existing Withdrawals In favor OF the
railroad. pending the establishment of it's
definite line of route. The opening UP OF
new settlements was not only retarded
ny this. but was almost prohibited. On
unsurveyed lands. and the great bulk of
lands were OF that character, no settle
ment could be made In advance OF sur
vcys. because there was no certainty that
a claim would not prove 10 be on rail-
road section.
IL was little better I'm surveyed town
ships. No compact settlement Of con-
each alternate section belonged TO the
railroad. Thus the burden OF opening up
new roads into the country was thrown
on a few. and each new settler was forced
to contribute TO the Improvement of the
railroad company's land by every effort
he made 10 render bis own land more ae-
cessibie.
Under such circumstances II Is not won
derful that the main growth and develop
nent OF the country until within the last
decade was in sections which lay well
away from the Northern Pacific railroad
and entirely outside Of its grant. This
was especially true In Eastern Wash
ington OF the largest settlements and
most prosperous agricultural regiooa.
such as the Walla Waila and Palouse
countries and Southeastern Washington
generally.
Nearness TO prospective lines OF trans
portation did not with these earlier set
tiers seem sufficient TO compensate for
the disadvantages we have pointed out
arising from being within the railroad
land grant limits.
The judgment of the earlier settlers was
justified by results. for the compact com
munities built up In regions which escap-
ed the land grant blight grew so rapidly
into Importance as producers that they
secured railroad facilities 10 tide water
and a market long before the Northern
Pacific was completed. and have ever
since kept we'll ahead of all other sec
tons OF Eastern Washington In the devel-
opment OF their agricultural resources