Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-10-24
Olympia, Eloquently Described.
t. Paul Pioneer Press.

Boarding one of the elegant steam
ers plying on the upper Sound from
Tacoma, on Saturday morning last,
landed at Olympia and saw for the first
time the Capital city of Washington
Territory, and, with the proclivity born
in me. when see good thing to wish
everyone else to enjoy it with me, So
licit the medium of the Pioneer-Press,
to say to almost everybody, when you
visit the Sound country don't omit
seeing this quaint old city-dreamy,
shady, beautiful Olympia-the nymph
OF Puget Sound.
Shall l give you description of the
city which has thus captivated my
fancy? Well, here it is: Referring to
the map you will find Budd's Inlet the
most southern extremity of Puget
Sound; at the southern extremity Of
this Inlet you note Olympia, and 80 it
lies. The Inlet terminates in beau
tiful, sheltered bay about mile in di-
ameter, surrounded on three sides by
the sloping hills stretching away in
graceful curve, vast natural amphi-
theater, from the ebb and flow of this
arm of grand old ocean, towards the
mountains, seeming to merge into the
rugged sides of the distant Cascades,
with St. Helen's and old Tacoma in
the background and the Olympics
standing guard DER the entrance to the
bay. This amphitheater, command
ing, as it does, an unobstructed view
of this charming, everlasting panorama,
is Olympia, a city of five thousand souls,
nestled in overhanging fruit and orna-
mental shade trees, and studded with
luxuriant vineyards and grassy glades
and terraces, cozy hooks and rose-em-
powered arbors, one of which latter we
might almost imagine to have been the
scene OF the temptation of Hassen Ben
Kahled.
1t does not seem possible that the
Constitutional Convention, so recently
in session here, could have seriously
contemplated any change in the loca-
ton of the Capital of the new State
so soon to he born, from the beautiful
spot so geocentric as it were, so ap-
propriate in every appointment, even
to its soft, oriental name as Olympia.
when it enacted the provisions for
taking vote of the people on this
question, which it would seem can
only result in fixing it here for all
time. 1t would distort every sense of
propriety beside being a gross outrage
upon Nature, who has been 80 courte.
GUS in her gifts, seemingly to this end,
to 60 carting the Capital away from
here to "boom" some real estate spec
ulator's town lots in another city.
Legislatures could never enact mis-
chievOus or wicked laws in such
place as Olympia, calculated as it is
to bring out mems best impulses and
promote their better natures. How
fitting a seat of government for the
namesake Of the admired Of nations,
the honored- OF ages! AS the name of
Washington has gone down to his
tory synonym for greatness, and will
ever be cherished in the hearts of his
countrymen, SO the State of Washing
ton should tower beside her snow-cap-
ped mountains, above all her sister
States, in wise and well ordained legis-
lation under the enobling influences
of the abundant munificence OF the
God of nature here bestowed.
Again I say, be sure to visit
Olympia.
Sincerely,
w. w. HARTLEY.