Suspicious Land Deals on the Northern Pacific
Settlers are being shut out of a questionable land grant adjustment that may benefit the railroad at the public's expense.
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 recent change in the location of that portion of the Northern Pacific land grant lying between Wallula Junction and the eastern boundary line of the Territory has met with a cold reception. Whether or not it should be taken as an indication that the interior territory is still to be conducted in the interest of the railroads remains to be seen. It is urged that the change is in the interest of the settlers, but somebody took extremely good care that the settlers should know nothing about it until it was an accomplished fact. If it really be in their interest, it is the first time that the Northern Pacific Company has put itself to any inconvenience for the sake of the settlers. It is, at any rate, rather novel for the company to determine what is to their interest, secure the accomplishment of that thing, and then turn blandly to the poor settlers and tell them that it was done because they desired it.
“It is, at any rate, rather novel for the company to determine what is to their interest... and then turn blandly to the poor settlers and tell them that it was done because they desired it.”
Corporate control over land use and lack of transparency with the public remains a central tension in Washington development. This 1885 editorial captures the early suspicion that railroad interests prioritized their land grants over the actual inhabitants of the territory.
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