A Victory Over Land Speculation
A corrupt order favoring railroad interests over public land rights has been rescinded by the General Land Office.
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.
Commissioner Sparks of the General Land Office has issued an order uniting one more of the corrupt transactions which marked the close of the recent disgraceful regime in the Interior Department. The location of the Northern Pacific land grant in Washington Territory, near Wallula, has been fixed as it was before the change made on March 4th by order of Acting Commissioner Harrison. This change, it will be remembered, was made at the request of the railroad. It was nothing more nor less than the changing of a quantity of almost worthless land for a number of acres of land which is enormously valuable. In other words, it was a deliberate steal connived at by Acting Commissioner Harrison and Secretary Teller. That this corrupt order has been revoked promises well for the future administration of the Interior Department under Secretary Lamar, and particularly of the General Land Office under Commissioner Sparks. Every day new acts of corruption on the part of Teller and his friends come to light, and the new officials will be kept busy revoking the mischievous orders of their predecessors. If justice were done, Teller, Harrison and a number of others of the same character would be behind prison bars. Men are sentenced every day for lighter offenses.
“It was nothing more nor less than the changing of a quantity of almost worthless land for a number of acres of land which is enormously valuable.”
The 1885 fight over the Northern Pacific land grant highlights a recurring theme in Pacific Northwest history: the tension between powerful corporate interests and the public's right to land. Much like modern debates regarding development, zoning, and public-private partnerships in Seattle, this article reveals how institutional corruption once weaponized government land policy for private profit.
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