The Settlers' War Against the Railroads
Aberdeen settlers demand protection as railroad companies skirt the law to clear-cut timberland.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Settlers' League of Aberdeen has written to Senator Squire asking him to use his influence to protect the state's timber. The league has received letters from the commissioner of the General Land Office stating that the title to land claimed by the Northern Pacific Railroad, known as indemnity or lieu land, is vested in the United States, and that the railroad has no right to sell or cut the timber therefrom. However, a recent official response from the land office used 'unsatisfactory and un-American language,' essentially stating they do not deem it advisable to take measures to prevent timber cutting while contests are pending. The settlers are indignant, noting that the railroad has not fulfilled its grant requirements, including the failure to build its road via the Columbia River valley into Portland.
“This is hardly the language for an executive officer to use to several hundred honest bona fide settlers who have appealed to him to stop an abuse.”
This 1894 dispute reflects the perennial tension between corporate land grabs and the public interest in Pacific Northwest resources. Just as Aberdeen settlers fought the Northern Pacific Railroad's overreach, contemporary Washingtonians continue to debate the intersection of land ownership, public trust, and corporate access to the state's natural bounty.
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