The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-05-23

load professions Of patriotism who hare
bat dim, II any. conception Of the r. ii
essence Of the sentiment Talk abous lore
Of country. and willingness to die for Il
IN case Of necesssty. is often induixed By
those who woEid complain Of enduring ,
scratch. or suffering any privstion. or
making sny serious sacrifice IN the coun-
tyS's behalf. Good proof Of this has been
afforded within the past week By repre-
sentatives In congress and writer's for the
prsss who. though loud in patriotic pro-
LESSONS. hare protested against infnitesi-
mai infections upon their own or their inn
mediate neiehborhood's interests by N
impost duty Of great advantage TO the
country - whole.
But . notable instance Of another kind
has been presented in the chief city OF
nsighbe-ing staie- IL is q large. wealthy
and growing city. and its postal facilities
are shamcfnliy inadequate The postoffice
building Is shabby. old fashioned. cramped
and confined For many years the people
and their representatives III both branches
Of congress have been ;mportuning for an
appropriation TO build q possofiice worthy
Of the city and OF the government. At
last. after having obtained an appropTia-
ton which appeared 70 be Inadequate,
they succeeded in having il increased 10
the haudsome figure Of $500 600, not for
buying the necessary ground and erecting
a suitab'e building upon it, but merely for
. site.
This for q city OF about 5000 inhabi-
tsnts. carrying with 1t an implied promise
Of commensurate appropriation for build
Ing purposes. would seem Ike the allow
ancc OF . generous government. well
worthy OF any patriotic professions that
might have been made by the people OF
that city. 1t were reasonable TO suppose
that such liberality on the part of q gov
eminent TO which they we're already at
tached would have inspired warm and
responsive feeling In the breasts of that
people, not excepting the property holding
class. It were reasonable 70 suppose that
these ardent patriots with this incentive to
an access Of patriotic ardor. would have
been disposed, not to die for their country.
nor 10 shed any blood for IL. nor TO severely
suffer Oh its account. but simply to see
that 1t was fairly IL not generously treated,
and at least that it might get an eligible
and slightly lot at reasonable il not
low price.
At least it might have been supposed
that they would have been willing to furn-
ish to the country OF their undying love
and THAR ,,uronouaralIo dovofs<,, !. emit
able site on terms rs reasonable Is they
would have made with stranger perhaps
"blarsted foreigner'-having no claims
upon their goodwill. But exactly the re-
verse was true. Their regard for their gen.
erous government was such as might have
been expected from so many sharks or
leeches. 1t was OF the blood-sucking and
deyouring kind So far from any body
showing any disposition to make any sac
rihce or exeriion that the government
might obtain an eligible and desirable site
at reasonable or moderate price, it has
site at any price, but ELUSIVE patriots stand
ready and wide-mouihed to swallow the
whole or the greater part of the appropria-
ton for sites that will be neither desirable-
nor convenient and which by any private
purchasers. before the government entered
the market and became heeceable sub
ject, could have been bought for much
less sum.
None OF the newspapers of that city
profusely patriotic newspapers, everyone
of them-has found it worth while to
search the records and report results, but
it is deemed perfectly safe 70 presume that
property which the government cannot
purchase at less than $780, 200. for the pur-
pose Of erecting upon it building which
viii be an ornament TO the city and great
convenience to all the people, was not
assessed last year for purposes OF taxation
at more than 20 per cent OF that sum. All
OF which goes TO show that average patriot
ism is an ascending virtse-gaseous. rs it
were-and but rarely descends into the
neighborhood of the pocket
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