Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-08-01
A FARMERS VIEW OF THE STU.
ALTON.
NUMBER TWO.

1 ~ 10 tt'h nv
good turn deserves another I did
not say all l intended last week, for
fear of wearying you too much. The
only question really to decide is, wheth-
er aid to the railroad by voting bonds
for $75,0 will injure Thurston county
more than it will benefit it. There are
but how and then a person to be found,
who does not at once admit that Il rail
road connection is necessary, and will
generally agree hat such connection
would have the effect to build up Olym-
pia and Tumwater and also raise the
price of lands, but, say they, it will
certainly tax lis severely and spoil our
market, and we don't want the price of
our lands raised. We are content, we
don't want to sell. Now this is the
whole argument in q nutshell, and
now, Mr.. Editor, to admit the necessity
of railroad connection and the advun-
tages growing out it, and then oppose
the vote for bonds, is to my mind rath-
tainly hard to die by. TO say the least
it is rather a strange position to take,
to appear and vote against bonds be-
cause it will tax them say 50, when the
railroad is done and in running order,
and at the same time raise the value of
their farms 81 900 each. Now, fellow
citizens, about al the religion l have,
or all that ] hold to he worth one cent,
is, to do all the good l can in this
world, and it seems to be morally wrong
to oppose any real necessity of the peo-
pie. l cannot have the face, if really
believe my farm will be raised in value
81 900, to oppose the railroad merely
because I expect to be taxed some day
SS. Again, Me. Editor, this is the only
equitable plan to aid in this matter.
1t does equal justice to all, and the
only question to decide, Will it help
more than it will hurt? An old man
might have reasons to oppose aid to
railroads if he cared for nothing but
self, but for n young man to oppose
railroad aid is a mystery to me. l now
wish to say q word about m class of
improvements of which, as yet, but
very little has been said. l refer to the
waste lands, the tide lands, the mud
flats, of Olympia.
l have no better way to illustrate than
incidents, and beg to refer you to other
places similarly situated. What has
been done can be done again. Buffalo,
Dunkirk, Erie, Cleveland, Vermillion,
Sandusky, Toledo and Chicago, all con
tain extensive mud flats, marsh lands,
old river-beds, very similar to Olympia,
but not quite 10 extensive, Years ago
mosquitoes and bull-frcgs reigned SUI
preme, but at this day you would see
quite a different state of things, the
dredger has been ut work in the mud
flats, and the PADDY and other machin-
cry on the hills, and where the old riv-
er-beds were twenty years ago, can be
seen now the best part of the cities
brick blocks and fair wide streets, as
far as the eye can see. The hills have
come down and joined the mud Hats,
to make one grand level. No one in
his right mind could possibly oppose
such improvements. Now I would say
to the young men of Thurston county,
you will probably see the same thing
done at Olympia and Tumwater. You
can see those hills come down, you
can sec those mud flats laid out into
slips and channels, you will also see
ship yards established at every conven-
lent point on the Sound, ships will
he built and loaded with spars and
sawed lumber for France, England and
all parts of Europe.
Railroads will be run into the country
to the finest and choicest timber lands
in the known world. This is all a mat
ter of time. We may fight it off for a
to be. History repeats itself every
twenty years.
I would not say that every place
is built up by railroads. Some are
killed, some are taxed and then killed,
but this killing is only when the rail
road does not end in the county. There
is not an instance where "a place has
been built by a road running to it.