The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-11-15


1870. No nan viii maks costly and valuAhle
fmprevomento on thu lease whore. q the end Of
the iease. - must lose his improvements. This
i q plnin pfopoauon that you axe the first
man outside az . iunatio asylum that ever
heard dispute Il That shis rule applies with
full force in relation TO Improvements in har-
boz q shown By the experience Of San Fran
cisco The d6cayed and falling Wharves and the
dlapidated docks that were for 20 many
years an eyeoore 70 that city, aad which made
IL one the coseliest ports In the United States
shows what We have 10 expect here under y0ur
proposed harbof rim. -ry dock costa from
$500 900 70 81 100000 bat il must BE- built II bufis
at all, within your harbof rim. Where will you
Ind the man or company willing to put that ex-
penditure on lease for thirty wears? Let Be-
attic % bound and gagged By such . ncnstrous
arrangement as you propose, while al other
cities on the Sound are left Tree 30 work out
their own careers untrammeled, how long
do you suppose Il would be before Seattle would
tau behind In the facef Inside Of two years
Sea ties prfmscy - = commercial city on Puget
sound would be gone. Why do you not treat
Seattle a. You 40 the other ciries7 why oid not
your commission treat them ali alike! Waat 10
there In your past business career that tustifss
yoa in the belief that You know better than the
merchants Of Seattle the conditions under
when tue city can achieve the greatest oevelCp-
men.f You furnisn In tnie matter new HISS
- - P~Sseee>
wnicn every one has observed, namely:
Tnat the man who was neyer
known 20 condnct GUINNESS OF his own
successfully, always on mana 70 zen ms
helgnoor now ne can con0ucs Ms business. lou
cannot cripple . great commercial port IKE
seattle without injury to the whole state. me
course proposed ~ fnis commission VIII result
IN an increase OF the rate OF wnaria&e and
oockaee. and In steady deterioration OF the
character Of the wnarvss ana DOCKS. ms can
% SHOWN 70 pc demonstration Dy the apPlica-
uon OF the plainest business principles 70 the
situation The truth -, ana experience over
and over again haA proved II. that every city
should control l1 own hsfoor Inc munici
panty mas the greatest interest IN making it,
port both safe and cheap; that IL. In securing
good wharves ana docks ana low rates OF wharf,
Age The clsy must do this or lose it, trade and
position. Here, on Puget sound, the sarest
guaranty OF low rates OF wharfage ana ample
ana secur Wharves and docks - To Do found In
the Keen ana ceaseless competition Tor uaoe
going on among the cities situated ON III shores.
Your position leaves al these considerations
ont OF account, and the result must be that the
entire state Will have as much cause 70 oepi0re
the work OF your commission - the CITY OF
Seattle has.
With your permission viii now address my
self Tor few moments TO the reckless personal
calumnies which you nave ssen nt TO publish
concerning me In this letter Of yours ma
this Ia guage in yur letter: Take the
wharves, Pleaded Judge Burke. but do nos
tou Railroad avenue" That statement con-
Corning me II utter.y and unquslthediy false.
You not On knew II 81 TO false wnen you
wrote II, but you knew that could convict you
OF the fslse..cod by the testimony of disinter-
ested men VINO were present ana heard what
that the history OF the avenue would not bear
investigation. Let " see. Railroad avenue
was laid out in the spring OF 1887. Yoa may re-
member the date, be- ause At about that time
you ceased to hold office for brief period.
Inc city OF seattle had reached perhaps the low
est point OF depression Ia its whole history. Al
TINS juncture Mr. D. h. Gilman came forward
with Eis memorable project Tor building the Sc
attic. Lake Saore Eas ern railway The com.
pany Was organizsd vi J. K. Mcdonald as
pres Mt ana at the Jim, In question
Colouei George &. Lyon was secretary.
About the same time the Be bingham Bay
Railroad Company was organized. Both COM
psnles proposed to build from Yesler's dock
north to emi his cove and thence upon tneir re-
spes tive routes riyhs-of-way along the city
front mad TO be secured. and in order 70 produce
rs little dis urbance 20 he lew wharveD and fsc-
tories then along the ffUnt-fOr the city needed
TO preserve every one OF these - props in it
then ". ak cOndttion-the idea Was conceived
OF laying out an avenue l20 feet wide from Yes
ier's wharf to Smiths cove. along which the
railways might have . rigntof-way with the
least disturbance to present or future business.
Il was at once seen that ~ the city grew such
IN avenue would be Of tncalcuab.e advantage
In handling the commerce OF the city front the
presence of the railways in the ave-
nue. only added to it, commercial
importance, because It thereby re-
cured the great commercial desideratum Of
bringing railroad and steamboat transportation
1f au1
ing be transported product by land and sea.
This avenue never ctst the CT of seattle one
dollar. Neariy al the abuiiing property % wnen
freely and voluntar ly dedicated the portions Vi
the street In front of their respective properties
the opening OF this avenue was naturally fav.
ored by President Mcdonald and by Co onel
George G. Lyon, and indeed Ior that matter it
met with universal approvai; and for my
share IN bringing about the establishment OF
this avenue, take greater pride than for any
other act ever did OF pubic nature in the
city of Seattle. Franchises 70 occupy sixty feet
OF this avenue were given to both railroads men,
tioned-each getting franchise to occupy thirty
feet. And here let me say that there has
never been an exclusive fraachise given to any
company in abroad avenue, and your state
NJ. MT 70 the effect that l commended that the
3 att . q Montana Railway Company had an
exclasive franchise In The avenue is not only
iaise Tut will iully and mallciously SO, for you
know that which did say was the very re-
verse OF that More than that, there has never
teen franchise granted 10 any company in
Railroad avenue that did not contain iull and
ample provisions for the complete protection of
every public interest. AS one of the immedi-
ate sui q OF the opening OF that avenue the
Seattle, Lake Shore e. Eastern railway was
bulit Aud let me tell you, that there is not a
man or woman III Seattle conversant with the
facts. that Will not say the building of the Seat