Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-09-20
TIE QUESTION OF LOCATION
The Claims Of the Rival Candidates
for the Capital Considered.


The claims OF the two principal
rivals Of Olympia, Ellcns5urch and
North Yakima, are based almost exclu-
sivcly on their central location. 1t
might he answer enough to this to
point ont the TACT that there is scarce
ly a state in the Union in which this
question OF central location has been
considered in connection with the Sc
lection Of Q Capital city. On the con-
trarT, even IN the new states. the Can
itals are generally located at one side
or the other OF the commonwealth.
miles from the geographical center.
Albany Is near the eastern boundary of
New York. This is also true OF Bos-
ION, Mass, st. Paul, Mimi, and OF To-
peka, kans. Wheeling is near the
northern boundary OF West Virginia.
Annapolis, Md, on the Chesapeake
Bay, Il body OF water that resembles in
many respects Puget Sound, is SINH
lally located to Olympia. Salem is as
far west rs Olympia, although Oregon
extends as far east rs Washington.
Lincoln, Neb., which was especially
built for "A Capital city, is located only
fifty miles from the Iowa line. 1t is
evident that the Plea OF being central
ly located is one that deserves but very
little consideration OF itself from the
intelligent voter.
AS a matter of fact, however, there
is only distance OF twenty-three miles
between Olympia and her two rivals,
as regards the position OF the three
cities in their relation to the geograph-
ical center OF the State, so that the ad-
vantage OF location from this stand:
point is absolutely nil. As is shown
in the article on railroads, however,
Olympia has exactly the same railroad
facilities to-day that all her rivals can
boast, and her prospects and certain
ties are far better than theirs. With
the completion of the roads through
the Big Bend country, now building,
she will be nearer Spokane Falls and
Eastern Washington than Yakima is
to-day. The country they will traverse
is far superior from any point of view
to the sandy deserts through which
the train passes today, while the fare
will be so reduced that it will
cost but a tritle to reach Olympia from
any part OF the State.
More important than the geographic
cal center in determining the question
of Capital location, however, is the
center of population and wealth, and
here Olympia far out-distances her
rivals.
Take circle, the center OF which is
Olympia, and the radius 100 miles, and
he population amounts in the aggre-
gate to lie, 1874. while within circle OF
100 miles OF Ellensburgh, it amounts
to 26,3S2, thus showing that Olympia
is in center of population more than
four times that OF Ellensburgh and
North Yakima. Then, too, the ratio
OF the assessable value of the property
within the same radius is about the
same, being little more than four
times as much within the circle with
Olympia for It's center rs it is in the
circle with Ellensburgh or North Yak
ina for a center. The exact figures
cannot be determined, as the returns
have not all been received ut the Office
of the Territorial Auditor, but enough
is known to show that in the case of
Olympia, with its 100 miles surround
ing, it is between $50, 600 600 and $780,
1900, and in the cases OF the other
two places named, it is between $l2,.
OO0, 900 and $15,0O0,O00.