Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-06-27
The Northern Pacific Subsidy.


TACOMA, jane l9.
Cor. \. II. OwISGs,
Olympia. Wash,
DEAR SIr:- wound like 20 settle up the
s',i,,iAy matter at Olympia. i under
stand the franchise through the streets
have been granted bv the City Council.
and that some $4,000 have been pledged
in cash, and that the balance can lie
raised in lands. 1t is necessary to have
this matter settled up at once. either one
way or the other. | would like to come
over there in q few days and have the
matter settled up. Will you kindly in
torview the committee, and fnd out what
date I can come, ana close the matter!
cannot longer wait with my grading
forces. Ii we are coming to Olympia,
wish 10 make arrangements at once II
not, l must change my lines and 20 ahead.
Yours truly,
ii. s. HUsoS,
Principal Asst. Engineer.
The above letter to Col. Owings
seems to indicate that something
should be speedily done with reference
10 the Northern Pacific rbsidy. Eth
er some further effort sh ,uld be made
at once to raise the amount, or the
lists returned with a statement that
the solicitors have already exhau sted
every means to secure the full sum
stipulated as one OF the conditions for
extending the route to this city. 1t is
not business-like to let the matter
rest The company are deserving of a
plain, explicit and prompt answer to
their proposition, SO that they may
govern their actions accordingly. i
1t is doubtful what will be the &c
ton of the company if the stipulations
are not complied with. Were it not
for the intimation of Engineer Huston,
that we would be left out of the
Northern Pacifc's system, we would
feel inclined to believe that the slight
difference between $4,000 and $780,
600 would cut but a small figure in
the ultimate decision of q company
which measures its wealth by the
hundreds of millions. If the failure
of the badly drained community to
raise $4,000 would keep the COM
pany away from our city, it may be
taken as confessed that its affections
are not very warmly fixed on Olympia
as one Of its objective points. Nor
should the failure OF the solicitors to
raise the stipulated sum be construed
into apathy or want of appreciation
by our citizens OF the benefits to be
derived from . competing line of
transcontinental railway. The fact
simply is, we have no wealthy resi-
dents or developed enterprises that
can meet the call for repeated subsi-
dies in so short an interval. The
Northern Pacific is unfortunate in
being the last to submit a proposition,
if the want Of $4,000 to make up the
amount can be considered q mis-
fortune.
1t should be considered by the COM
pany's representatives that the city
has made quite . concession in &C.
cepting it's chosen route through
Seventh street, against the protest Of
. large number of our citizens whose
property is damaged by the grade
which will have to be established ON
that and the several interesting
streets. This, Of itself, if appraised by
the residents Of Seventh street, would
far more than make up the deficiency
in the subsidy. Let US hope that all
these facts will receive consideration
before the Northern Pacific decides to
pull up stakes and abandon the field
to its rivals.