Northern Pacific Accused of Land Extortion by Tacoma-Kalama Residents
Citizens and politicians clash over the Northern Pacific Railroad's monopoly and the holding of immense swaths of land that remain untaxed and undeveloped.
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The people along the Tacoma-Kalama line have been greatly stirred of late by the inconveniences, extortions, and oppressions to which they have been subjected by the Northern Pacific Company. One complainant, E.K. Bollesworth, of Centralia, writes that the corporation holds thousands of acres of land, and on which we are unable to collect a penny of taxes. I saw a letter yesterday from the company's land agent in Portland, stating that land sold by the company nine years ago had never been deeded to the company by the government. As a matter of fact, the company has not got a deed to any of their so-called lands because they have not yet seen fit to make selections, pay the fees, and conform with technical requirements. I would like to call the attention of the county commissioners along the line of the road to this: as long as the railroad company has not selected their lands, they cannot be forced to pay taxes.
“It is a common saying that corporations have no souls, and this is, I think, well illustrated by the course the Northern Pacific Railroad Company is taking in this great and growing country.”
The Gilded Age struggle between rail monopolies and public access to land is a direct predecessor to modern Seattle debates over corporate influence on city planning and the privatization of public assets. The frustration with 'untaxed' holdings mirrors today's concerns about developers holding vacant land while the city faces a housing crisis.
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