Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1875-03-13
This bill asks for no subsidy from the Fed.

This bill asks for no subsidy from the Fed.
eral Government, either of lands, bonds, or
money, but simply for the privilege that tic
counties therein named may issue bonds to
aid in construction of greatly needed i'm
provement in their own midst" 5--e,
1t seems to Inc that the bill ought TO pass,
and let the people decide that question for
| tht msclves. EsR is.
Mr Mitchell only desire to say a word
before the amendment is voted upon. II ex.'
ceedingly regret that any Senator onf lhis,
floor should feel constrained from Muy sense
of duty to interpose objection to this hill 1t
simply enables these political communities
in Washington Territory, three counties and
two cities, to do that which every other pc.
litical community of like character in every
other Territory Of the United States has q
right TO do in the absence of any legislation.
In all the other Territories of the United
States day, any county in its corporate
capacity, any city in Its corporate capacity,
has the right to iegislate in this way; but In
the organic law OF Washington Territory
these political communities are prohibited
from doing 1t. At the last session of Con-
gress bill was passed similar in all respects
to the bill now pending. 1t was an act to
| authorize the county commissioners of
Thurston Comfy, in Washington Territory,
to issue bonds for the purpose OF construct
ing, railroad from Budd's Inlet, Puget
Sound, to intcrsect the Northern Pacific Rail
road at or near Tenino. ..a t'a
( 1t has been objected by the honorable Sen
ator from Iowa that the tax which may be
imposed under the provisions of this bill by
a vote of two-thirds of the legal voters in
these cities would be one that would be en-.
ormous considering the population of the
| capital there. Now, let me call the attention
| of the honorable Senator from Iowa to one
| fact, of which perhaps lie Is not aware.
There appears TO be an impression here that
there are but very few people In Washington
| Territory (Which is the fact to certain ex-
tent and that there are very few productions
| there. Let me assure the Senator from Iowa
that in the one county of Walla Walla, named
in this bill, there is surplus of wheat raised
to the amount of one million bushels--One
million surplus in this one county. II Is one
of the greatest whcat.gT0wing counties in the
United States to-day.
What does it cost to transport busllel of
that wheat from the county of Walla Walla
to San Francisco compared with the cost of
transporting bushel of wheat from Chicago,
for instance, TO Liverpool by way of New
York? Almost if not quite double the
amount 1t costs to-day eighty five cents per
bushel to transport bushel of wheat from
Walla Walla County, in Washington Terri
tory, TO San Francisco. There, as / have
said, they have raised during the last year o
surplus of one million bushels of weat. You
have across at Seattle, one of the termini of
| this road, one of the finest harbOrs in the
world From that point it would cost but q
mere trifie, as we all know, in o sailing ship,
to transport bushel of wheat to San Fran
cisco. Wheat to-day is selling ct Walla
| Walla at forty cents bushel, while at the
other end of this proposed road, at the har-
Dor of Seattle on Puget Sound, it is selling
| A. IL. r Ia, - MT
| of all the counties through which this road
runs, simply with reference to this one arti-
Gle of consumption and of shipment, wheat;
but the road will run through the finest coal.
fields and the finest timber lands In the
whole country. ~"
What does the bill propose 10 dor 1t is
not asking anything from the United States
Government; it is not asking any subsidy; It
Is not asking any money; II Is simply asking
that the people of these counties and Of these
cities may be permitted, not by majority
vote but by two-thirds vote, to do what?
To aid in the construction of this narrow
gauge railroad from Walla Walla to Puget
Sound to the extent of issuing their bonds
to an amount not exceeding per cent. of
their taxable property, to an amount not ex.
ceeding $25o, 900 for each county and $780,,
600 for each city. That is all there is of it,
AS said, do exceedingly regret thai any
Senator here feels compelled from any sense
OF duty to interpose any objection to this
bill, and hope II will not be pressed /
hope these political communities that are
without railroad communication, when they
ask nothing but O mere permission to do for
| themselves under the Instructions of two
thirds vote of their own people what they
are not permitted to do now, will be allowed
to do this. do not wish to detain the Sen
| ate, but hope tho amendment proposed by
the committee will be adopted and the bill
passed. r. '..s '-f4. tH3 10 r-
Mr.. Ingall. l feel compelled to oppose
| this bill primarily because 1t is opposed
to the organic law of the Territory but OPP
pose 1t also for the further reason that, in my
| Judgment il Is entirely hostile to the best in-
Ierests Of the people who live in the Territory
am somewhat familiar with this SYSTEM Of
loaning municipal credit to railroad corpora
| tons; know the results of the system; and
can say that to-day the great burden ander
which the majority of the Western States are
laboring, the great difficulties that they are
compelled to contend with, result from the
hasty and injudicious loaning OF municipal
struction of railroads. Throughout ma
jority of the Western States this system has
been resorted to for the past fifteen or twenty
years, and to-day may say that at least nine
tenths of the corporations that have incurred
this Indebtedness are either in default in the
| payment OF interest OF are attempting 10 re
pudiate both principal and interest. When
railroads become necessary they will be con-
structed and l am entirely opposed to the
principle involved in this bill, and shall re-
sist 1t in the interest, as believe. Of the peo.
pie themselves Attk f8ttB@ ASFHtl.
| desire, however, to call the attention OF
the Senate to one ether fact in connection
with this pending measure, While the bonds
arc authorized and the rate of interest is fixed,
there is NO provision whatever made for the
levy of tax for the purpose OF paying the
bonds or Of meeting the interest. will also
call the attention of the Senate to another
very extraordinary provision, which Is that
In second section, upon page 6, commencing
4 In line IS, which reads as follows:
And any such bonds in excess Of 2 per cent
| OF the territorial taxable valuation OF the
| property of said counties and cities, or In ex-
cess of $3.50, 900 In any one of said counties,
and 500, 900 in any enc citylas aforesaid, IN
| on sF'~e7 - H4fEe-NtF ~ sstN41 . "