, 1883-06-14
The 'Purbli1i" Policy.
PoRr ToWNsENp. June 18Th. 1sS

To THE EDITOR OF TEE ARUUS:- DEAR
SIR y attention has been called to
yOur editorial in last evenings paper,
and | am constrained TO believe that in
this as IN many other cases the ''legiti-
mate subject of criticism is we'll known,
while the facts are Eot. If $1,000 for a
corner lot with water frontage of 80 feet
and street frontage of 10 feet, was
fictitious Value,--for the sake of our
town, pray You publish it not. Any
one with common sense knows it was
not, and no one is more cogniZant of the
fact than the parties interested in the
manufacturing enterprise alluded to.
As regards this purblind policy, and
attaching fictitious values to business
lots, every time a manufacturing firm
proposes opening up anew industry" as
far as directed al my own family, [ IN
qualifiedly assert that sucn 4 statement is
without foundation or shadow of truth,
let who Will make it.
fOnrs Respectfully.
A. \. PLUMMER, JR.
We are glad, at least, to start intel
ligent agitation of this question.
There is probably no occasion for
fault finding in the present case,
though the fact cannot be gainsayed
that in several instances heretofore
the policy to which we refer has
worked conspicuously to the detri
ment of Port Townsend. Enter
prises that were located in Seattle
years ago would have been secured
TO this place, and their immense dis
bursements for current expenses
thrown into our local channels of
trade, if eXhorbitant prices had not
been asked for business lots on which
to conduct operations. In one in
stance within our knowledge, ship
yard was driven away because the
land desired could not be obtained at
any price, a long lease was offered,
but that did not suit the parties, who
declined to improve property not
their own just how far this unwise
policy is followed by our present
property owners, this paper does not
undertake to say; b t FROM the
affairs are taking it ceFtainly looks as
though symptoms II fbs Cd maiady
ara not entirely wanting. We are
not of those who would ask any in
diyidual property owner to part with
land for half its value, for the bone
fit of the general public; and yet
there are plenty of cases where such
persons would make money by doing
even that much. The question of
the right of any manufacturing firm
to ask such favors does not figure in
the case; the fact that IN most in
stances land is offered them free, or
at nominal cost, for the sake OF Sc
curing the location of the enterprise
and enhancing the value of contigu-
Gus property, leads them to expect
similar fayors wherever they locate.
As matter OF fact, whoever is most
liberal, other things being equal, Sc
cures the prize. We might refer to
the iron furnace at the head of the
bay, and other instances in illustra-
ton. Parties who thought themselves
exceeding liberal with the Port
Townsend Saw Mill Co, in the mat.
ter of land, find that their generosity
has resulted in about fifty per cent.
being added to the value of their
other possessions in town-so that
their Eberality did not go unreward-
ed The ARGUs is here as one of the
fixed Institutions of the town. Ithas
labored faithfully in the past to stim-
ulate an enterprising, progressive
spirit here, to the end that the high
est possible degree of prosperity
might be obtained. 1t has rejoiced
heartily in :he gereral revival of
business on Puget Sound and par
ticularly because Pom Townsend is
waking up and making a start that
viii place her In the van of progress.
1t has ever kept in view the future
possibilities of the place, and endeay-
ored to SO direct public sentiment
that the town might pull out of the
ruts into which old fogyism kept it
in the past. We speak today, not
with desire to direct public atten-
ton unfayorably upon any person or
persons-for we have no i'll Will to-
ward any-but to the end that pass
ing opportunities may be made the
most Of The present and next few
succeeding years viii settle the fate
of this town as a commercial cent-r,
and if it is decided adversely it will
be too late then to do any good by
looking back and rejecting on a
f.might have been" An exchange
recently remarked that money and
brains" were required to build great
city, no matter what the natural ad
yantages might be- We commend
the sentiment to Port Townsend
thinkers. The noic OF the coming
five years is our opportunity. Viii
we Improve it? OF eourse individual
cases viii not decide the matter, but
they have their influence, even as life
itself is made up of small things.