The Fight to Break the Northern Pacific Monopoly
A fiery editorial argues that Congress must reclaim millions of acres of 'unearned' land granted to the Northern Pacific Railroad to save the future of Washington Territory.
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 Post-Intelligencer maintains that the Northern Pacific Railroad Company has, through its vacillating and tardy course, forfeited its claim to government land grants. If these lands were restored to the public domain, it would stimulate immigration, distribute trade, and provide homes to the homeless. Instead, the company currently holds these lands, charging average prices of $6.00 per acre and clouding titles with harsh conditions. By reserving coal and iron lands, they stifle development. In Yakima and Kittitas counties alone, nearly 3,000,000 acres are claimed by this company, representing a $30,000,000 tax on future settlers. We must restore this land to the people.
“It is idle to say that under such conditions immigration would not be stimulated and settlement of these lands be prompt and rapid.”
This 1884 editorial captures the fundamental tension of early Seattle: whether the region's land and resources would be owned by the public or controlled by a single, powerful corporation. The rhetoric about 'unearned' land grants and the crushing cost of housing echoes modern debates about corporate land ownership and the struggle for affordable housing in the Pacific Northwest.
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