The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-08

which should make impossible another such
catastrophe - that OF the 9Th Of June.
Your committee claims that the council under
al the adverse circumstances OF the past year,
has done Is well As thinking people could az
pecf
Your committee win now give the chronology
OF the councils iaboB in the fire and water de-
partment since the great fire.
During the month OF .une limited attention
only was paid 10 either the fire or water depart
ments There were two very sufficient reasons
for this apparent neg ect. one OF these was that
until the July election shonld come OF, the
question Of water control by tho city was still
undecided, and the second reason was the ply
sicai impossibility of the overworked council
doing more than 80 did in that evenfful month
The council was IN perpetual session. and ac-
complished more important legislation and at
tended to more executive business than was
ever done by any other city council in the
world during the same period Of time.
The result of the city election on July 8. at
which the water question was submitted TO the
people. was that out OF total vote catt OF ISIS
only thirfy-one were against the proposition
This eection was however, hardly over when IL
was discovered that it was Illegal. for the reason
that the act of congress of July 30. 1886. limited
the borrowing powers of cities to per cent OF
their assessed valuation, thus leaving the peo-
pie Of Seattle only hope that relief might come
from the constitution OF the state OF Washington
then being framed In the convention at Oiym-
pia- The chairman OF the fire and water CON-
mitfee. being q member of the convention, was
happily able to assist in framing the article on
municipal Indebtedness, which fixes the maxi
mum Indebtedness which cities may incur at 10
per cent. of their assessed valuation
This much accomplished, the city council had
to wait for an adoption OF the constitution and
the meeting OF the first legislature, which alone
Heir
ton. The constitution was adopted and the
legislature elected, October /, 1882 On Febru-
airy Is, 1890, the Wilson bill was passed, which
was supposed by oil to fully confer the neces-
sary power on municipalities to incur indebted
ness under the constitution.
the council at once took measures to call an
election under the provisions of the bill; ii held
numerous consultations and had estimates
made OF the amounts necessary for improve
mt n in the several departments of the city
government and an ordinance was prepared
calling for an election.
But during the closing days of the session the
legislature passed another bill March 26) which
was held by the city attorney TO have repealed
the Wilson bill and to limit the purposes for
which cities might issue bonds to the three
items OF water supply, sewerage and artificial
light It was two weeks before o certified
copy of the bill could be obtained by
the city attorney from the secretary OF state.
The work previously done had all to be done
over sgain on account of changes in the provis-
ions aud modes OF procedure. The council used
all diligence and the first publication OF the
notice calling for an election on the indebted
ness question was published April.2S. 1890, fx-
ing The date Mt June 4. this being as early as 1t
could be legally held. The election was duly
held on June and the canvass Of the vote
made on June 6, when 1t was found that the
people had authorized the issue Of bonds for
water and sewerage improvements to the
amount OF 1855 000 Arrangements were made
without an hours delay to have bonds printed
and a call was made in the monetary centers of
the United States for proposals for the purchase
of the eity's bonds, bids to be in by Julys
Your committee calls attention at this time to
the wording OF the resolutions o. Judge Lewis,
which in substance assert that the people have
voted supply OF money to procure and furnish
an adequate water supply, and demand that the
material and money provided be at once turned
over to committee OF i've, and that said COM
mittee shall go on and complete the work on
which the council has been laboring for year.
In answer to this TRADE of unreason 1t Is enough
to say that there has not yet come legally into
the city treasury one dollsr OF money for water
purposes under the provisions of the cons itu-
ton, and your committee alleges that IL was not
possible. unoer al the circumstances, for the
city council to have sold q bond before
July sih. Your committee also says, that had the
the fire. stood strictly within the pale of its legal
powers. there would not have been, there could
not have been q dollar spent for water supply or
fire protection. No one could have lmpeaohed
the council, and no court would have issued Q
mandete to the council compelling 1t to take
action In the matter one hour before July 8,
1890, because the city had been for long time
in debt greatly beyond its charter powers, and is
now ct this writing, in such position that our
own banks, except in some cases when there
are special agreements, absolutely refuse to buy
q warrant on either fire or water funds But no
citizen who has kept account Of current events
during the past fiscal year, and who desires that
the acts OF public servants shall have the just
and reasonable consideration to which they are
entitled, will attach much weight to criticism,
which q moments thought and recollection will
brand as false and unjust.
Bu.. did the city council meanwhile sit down
supinely and wait for the enlargement of lis
powers? No: appreciating the emergency, and
the duty of self-preservation for communities
as well as individuals, the council has gone
ahead and undertaken improvements in this,
as in all other departments, until Il has ex-
hausted the last dregs Of its financial credit
Recognizing the justice of purchasing the
Spring Hill system for the purpose Of m aking it
part OF the city water-works, the council on
August 7, 1889. instructed the mayor to confer
with the Spring Hill company with q view to
opening negotiations to this end. On August
20 the company submitted to the council a
statement that their plant was worth on q fai.
capitalize alton $500 but that they would sell
at 100000 preferring, however, to retain their
system and Offering in return for O ten years
monopoly, TO extend and enlarge their system
to adequate proportions.
The council aud the citizens generally con-
sidered that the price asked was exorbitant
and that the monopoly alternative was out of
the question, but the newspapers, with q fervor
which their present attitude forcibly recalls
urged the council to pay the Spring Hill COM
pany their price, IS the city must have their
plant at any price.
The council, considering that il did not have
the technical knowledge to enable it to put q
valuation on the Spring Hill plant, and believ-
ing that TO employ some eminent and disinter-
ested eng neer from distance would prevent
any suspicion of interes,edness which might
attach to the employment OF local gentleman
instru ted the mayor to secure the services of
Mr.. Benezette Williams of Chicago.
This agreement was made on the advice of
Mayor Creiger. of Chicago, himself an able en-.
gineer, who warmly recommended Mr. Williams
as the most competent man for our purpose that
he knew of in the country.
NJ. Williams arrived in Seattle on October 81
aud was requested to examine and report upon
the value of the Spring Hill property to the city
as part OF a permanent water supply. His re-
port was made on November Is, in which he val
ues that part OF the plant which could be used
by the city at sll9.l72, exclusive of the COM
pany's real estate. The report was adopted, as
was also his recommendation of a gravity sys.
tenn to be supplied from Rock creek.
At the next meeting of the council on No
vemoer -, 1889. the council ordered the fire and
water committee. with the chairman OF the
finance committee, to negotiate with the com.
psny for the purchase of their entire property.
using the report of Mr.. Williams as q basis for
eraNh f{afi far q
negotiation wss extended through more than
t1xe ntx rneetincs and Decar,har