, 1878-04-05
MUNICATED.
PORT TOWNSEND, April, ,. 1873


EDITOR PORT TOWNSEND ARGUS:-I
Your issue OF the Sth of March, under the
heading of the Street Question Settled,
who is the Peoples True Fricnd?' con
tains an editorial which, whether inten-
tionally or not, reflects very uniuStIy upon
| that portion of our citizens who have been
identified in obtaining the proper legal
title to the public streets OF this city, and
contains statements and differences not
fully borne out by the facts. And as its
tendency is to eXa!t the action of DIR.
Minor at the expense of all those who
have, with reason, differed from him in
the matter, the following remarks from an
old resident may in justice be permitted:
J If there has been anything honorable or
just in the action OF DR.. Minor and his
colleagues, Webster and Gerrisll, each Of
whom had fenced in public street, the
writer in common with many of his fe-
low citizens has failed to see it-but on the
contrary, most determined attempt to
wrest from the city and apply to private
use several of its most Important streets
has been met with such opposition on the
part of our citizens as has resulted in es-
tablishing beyond all cavil even on the
part Of the most unsCrupulons, the city s
title not only to the streets In question,
but to all other streets within its limit.
In bringing about this very desirable
result no thanks are due to DR.. Minor or
to those who have acted with him. 1t has
been accomplished in defiance OF their
utmost and long continued efforts to the
contrary. Credit should alone be given
where it is Justly due, namely, to the
gentlemen composing the former City
Trustees, to citizens who gave freely Of
their time and money, and to the public
press.
The city's title to the streets being now
happily established and Doctor Minor
having when proceedings in cqrity were
about to be Commenced). re-cOnveyed un-
Conditionaly to the city that portion
of Quincy Street uniustly claimed by him.
the writer has no further interest in the
matter except to prevent wrong aspersions
upon those who have acted honorably in
what will at a future day be fully under
stood rs an important crisis in the history
of Port Townsend. f. w. JAMES.
We give place, in the above, to
inal communication upon the much
discussed street question. The re-
Elections made by Mr. James on the
editor of the ARGUS and on some of
our most respected citizens are as
unjust as they are uncalled for. The
fact cannot be questioned that the
first person to publicly call attention
to the defect in the city's title to the
public streets, and to urge remedy
therefor, was Doctor Minor. That
he publicly and privately stated that
whenever said enclosed street was
actually needed for public use it
would be opened is also true. With.
out petition in the first instance, an
illegal board Of trustees summarily
ordered his fences torn down if they
we're not removed within short
time. He resisted the unauthorized
assumption of power, submitting to
malicious misrepresentation and vex-
atious litigation until the end he pre-
dicted in the outset was reached and
decision rendered that there was
no city government, and not legal
street within the limits of our town
plat. Had he yielded as our cores
pondent evidently thinks he should
Port Townsend would to-day have
been without legal city govern
meht or lawful streets within her
limits. These views we believe to
have been those also Of the others in
whose conduct Mr.. James fails to see
anything honorable or just" We
have reluctantly given place to the
above because we are convinced that
all wrangling over the matter is, at
this stage Of the game, quite super
huous. Indeed the subject is thread
bare, so to speak. 1t has been hack.
neyed, harped upon, banded, 70.
hashed and gone over so often that
there is no new phase to present for
inspection and no edifcation to be
derived by the public from pro
longed discussion of its merits. We
believe the public long since un-
derstood the true position of Doctor
Minor and the others mentioned in
the above; and, as Mr.. James ard
others have spoken so often and
freely about the wishes of the PEo
PIE, why not accept the popular YER.
dict in this case instead of carrying
their denuncations farther than
mere zeal in securing their rights"
could possibly warrant. Mr.. James
enters into judgment with us, and
says we made statements mot fully
borne out by the facts" Our state.
ments are all upon record, and can
be substantiated at any time.