Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-10-15
A FEW SUGGESTIONS.
For the Consideration of Citizens of
OLYMPIA,

Olympia.
To the editor OF the Washington STANDARD.
There is much truth in the saying
that "There is Il tide in the affairs of
men which, if taken at it's flood, leads
on to fortune" This truth is as APP
plicable to towns and cities as to indi-
viduals. Such flood-tidcs of favoring
events come to individuals and to
towns and cities but rarely, and if al
lowed to pass unimproved, the individ-
ual will be left in poverty and obscure
ty to mourn over "what might have
brcn,' and the town or city be left to
languish, without further growth or
prosperity.
The signs of the times indicate that
such flood tide is again, after long
years of low tide, about to visit Olym-
pia. Let lis wake up, and not let it
pass unimproved. Public spirit, encr-
gy, enterprise, united action, if now
called into existence and continued,
will bring commerce and ensure growth
and prosperity to our city. We have
it i'll our power to improve our harbor,
and remove the only obstruction to the
commerce of our city. Let not indi-
vidual preferences as to where the deep
water channel shall be made, interfere
with this much-needed improvement.
The owners of the Olympia and Che
halls Valley Railroad have offered to
expend 100000 on their road in our
county, laying third rail and making
it standardsgauge, besides extending it
to the coalfelds southeast of Tenino
and to deep water in our harbor, con-
structing coal bunkers at that point,
on the sole condition that our County
Commissioners execute II release of the
mortgage to the county on the said
railroad given over ten years ago, obi
eating its owners to keep it in repair
and run one train day Sundays ex
ceptcd) over the same, for twenty
years. Let us not lose this great BEN
fit to our city and county by the quib-
BILE of our County Commissioners
about their having no legal authority
to execute said release. The owners
of said road agree to accept said re-
lease, risk its validity, and to expend
the 5000 600 in the county as stated,
which would be much stronger and
never-ending bond for keeping the
road in repair, and running u daily
train over it, than the present mort
gage which will expire in less than ten
years, and the Commissioners like
courts can do no wrong in their official
capacity that will render them indi-
vidually liable.
More transcontinental roads than
one are seeking II terminus on Puget
Sound. BY proper energy and enter
prise our city may yet become IL ter
minus of one of said transcontinental
roads. Let our city secure to itself
a release from all persons owning lots
and lands bordering our harbor of wa
ter fronts and mudflats outside of me-
andered lines, to enable it to offer wa
ter lots to railroads and other compa-
MES as bonuses for terminal and other
improvements. One of our public
spirited citizens, who owns large wa
ter front on our harbor, offers to do
nate the same to the city for the pur-
, poses aforesaid, and also to give 100
acres of land in the vicinity of the city
| 70 any transcontinental railroad
company that will make it's ter
minus here. Much of such unselfish
public spirit as this among our citi-
Gems would he sure to make Olympia
terminus of a transcontinental road
Abundance of capital and low rates
of interest in the East are causing capi-
talists there to seek investments in
various ways on this coast. The great
water power afforded by the falls of
the Deschutes river and from Black
Lake, in the vicinity of our city, would
attract much of this capital, in the
establishment of manufactures of var
ious kinds, if inducements were held
out and the advantages of these water
powers were properly advertised.
Our city needs a Chamber of Com
merce or Board of Trade to look after
these matters. l, therefore, move that
mass meeting of our citizens be
called to consider the foregoing mat
tiers. OLYMPIAN.