The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-07-02
idle AND rEuKnE raKrArs.

The threat made oy two or three
Parties rho feel themselves sgrieye.s
tnzs tiasy viii resist the r~-plas OF the
osarnt district in lie courts. Is prob
ably netAisag more than a foolish sx-
ercise OF Bad temper. Ii cannot le
possible that the poser Of the eisy 10
condemn and appropriate the property
in question wiii he denied. since il Il
express and absolute. and unaues-
TONED by sny intelligent man. Every
city has this power through the
right Of eminent domain. 1t!
Is by this power and under
this right TIA: Seattle, ike any other
city, condemns land for streets where
it Is desired to create or exter.d them.
The power which srriie> 10 the cr-s-
tion or extension Of a shoronghfare
IN remote addition is not more
Pointed than the power by which the
fe-ler corner kas heen cat OF and
South Third street extended. for
they are one and the same thing. con-
ferret III clear and express terms in
sections II, loo. loi and itE2 OF the CITY
charter.
After the power oi the city is admit
ted, and il is absurd to deny il, the
only question that remains is the mat
ter of damage; aid here comes in the
difference between public and private
corporations. In the case OF an inai-
vidaal or private corporation. title is
not perfected until payment is made,
but in the case of city, perfection OF
title does not wait upon payment.
Immediately upon the enactment,
approval and p-olieation OF
an ordinance os condemnation. the
city becomes the absolute owner. The
previous owner may 90 into the courts
upon questions of damage but he can
not reclaim the property, and the
longer he delays the payment, The
longer he is out the use OF his money.
He has no power, absolutely none, to
disturb the city in its ownership or
possession of the property itself.
In view OF these facts of law which
nobody win dispute. the action OF the
Oregon Improvement Company in
attempting to blockade South Third
street is ridiculous. Throughout this
whole controversy the position OF the
Improvement Company has been often
siye in the extreme 1t has attempted
10 dictate terms to the council as If il
had special rights The threat
of iss manager that il the
public interest Gid not in certain i'm
portant particulars give way to its
private interest, the depot Of its busi-
ness would oe transferred 10 Tacoma or
somewhere else, Is about as manly as
the whine OF an insolent school boy
that If the teacher tiogs him his father
will take him another school. The
Oregon improvement Company Is
not more important to Seat
tie than Seattle is To
the Oregon Improvement Company
and it must learn that Seattle is much
the bigger corporation of the two.
The so-calied right" which it asserts
with such loud proteStations is ques-
tionable in many ways. Itwas origin
ally acquired. II We do not mistake,
through jlsudulant representation
made by the old Seattle & Waiia Walla
Railway & Navigation Co.: and fur
thermore rests upon tide land to which
the government has not and cannot
give title.
The attempt is being made to ele-
vate the threat of litigation into
bugbear. Ii has been assumed and as
serted that litigation viii least a
doubt upon titles" and interfere with
negotiations for money to be put into
Improvements adjacent to Front,
South Third and other streets. This
il the baldist nonsense. Even il the
former owners of the condemned
property had recourse upon the
property. which they have not, il
could have no effect upon titles be
cause all OF the land condemned will
be in the streets and will never be
sold The idea Is too absurd for dis-
eussion.
Iii anybody thinks he can spitefuily
hinder the progress of the city by
boarding up" important property in
the business center, he reckons upon
IA very small basis. If business is not
accommodated in these corners it will
find houseroom elsewhere and no.
body will suffer excepting the owner
of the property. Ii anybody chooses
to "cut off his nose 10 spite his face"
he is welcome to do so since there is
no law against any man making a
fool of himself.