The High Stakes Battle for Seattle’s Waterfront

The cases of Milton L. Baer vs. Moran and Jacob C. Mann vs. the Tacoma Land Company, which were set for trial in the supreme court of the United States, have not yet been called up. By consent of all the counsel interested, the cases were passed until such time as there should be a full supreme bench. The importance of the supreme court's decision in these cases, as affecting the title to all tide lands acquired by the state from the general government, is so great that none of the parties interested is willing to accept the decision except every justice shall give his opinion. Attorney-General Jones has filed a brief on both cases on behalf of the state. In both these cases the question involved is whether the United States was the virtual owner of these lands and had a right to dispose of them while Washington was a territory, or whether the Federal government simply held them as trustee for the future state. Baer located on the lands which he claims with the government scrip, and his suit against Moran is for the latter's ejectment. Mann's case is to prevent the Tacoma Land Company from changing the channel of the Puyallup river across the tide flats. M. L. Baer, of Seattle, who is here to aid in the conduct of his own case, says he has been fighting this matter since 1888 and wants to see it ended in the near future. It has already cost him over $10,000.