The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-09

men, 'sIf you wish to enter my council you can
not sell me any goods or become bondsmen Tor
any one doing business with met" l hold she
cannot afford to do so. Events have proven be-
yond a possibility of contrad elton that so Jar
she has done il 10 her own detrimeut In an
swer 70 the edict of the above quoted section,
our able business men simply said to the city:
"Al right. We have 10 meet high rents, taxes
and various other expenditures. We wish a
free and fair field. We do not wish to debar
ourselves from selling you goods You are q
customer OF considerable importance and we
do not care to be by statute deprived
from dealing with you. Again. il 10 an
unwrtten business law for the merchant TO go
bonds for his contraetorcustomer. If we enter
your council, we lose not only your trade but the
trade OF some of our best customers, who are In
the habit of doing work for you in your various
departments" The result Is the business men
did not set up howl at the said section, but
shrewdly said: 'Goodby, Mr.. City. You need
Us worse on your council than we care for being
there" And mark the consequence. We have
twenty-five councillors in our city, and beg OF
my readers to kindly name, If they can, Ave
prominent business men among them
am almost ashamed to continue arguing up
on the point. Our present chaotic financial
condition and the frequent disgraceful SQUAD
bles between the two legislative bodies, argue
more eloquently and plead more earnestly Tor
the wipiug out of the aforementioned barriers
than my pen possibly can do.
Certainly this letter Will meet with storm OF
opposition. The politician, who Is greatly
pleased with said section, viii do all he can to
prevent the amending of it. And why
should he not? Will not his vocation be entirely
gone when we succeed III getting hall dozen
prominent business men In each BODY OF our
council? The politician knows perfectly wen
that the business men wiz say, "Ihis city is
simply large corporation and we propose TO
manage it upon the same principles as we are
managing our private business affairs" And
whenever you apply business rule to poll
ncian his vocation is gone. Thus, IN spite OF the
knowledge that the entire political cannonade
Republican and Democratic alike-wili be dis
charged at me- and for all that / know said
cannonade might result in publicly slleneing me,
unainchingly submit my opinions TO that pub
lie tribunal for which have every respect, and
in whose ultimate decision I have everlasting
faith-nameiy, public opinion True, the privi-
lege has been given me to offer amendments to
the charter 10 our present board of charter re-
yisoners, but l prefer 70 reach them through
the public press. IL is best that public senti-
ment should manifest itself pro or con my
suggestion.
am not unmiadful of the fact that before
the fire some INSCRIPTIONS business men en-
deavored, and some perhaps succeeded in their
design, to materially advance their interests by
entering the council and through their inlu-
ence draw the bulk of the eity's trade to their
own stores and factories. Therefore some will
accuse Inc of being DESTROYS OF re-creating cor
rupt ring. To such accusation | will answer:
First-Sesttle is no longer village. The doings
OF her council are watched and discussed by
three large daily papers, some weekly journals
and, beyond all, by an energetic public mind.
Seeond-the safeguards created by our charter
especially the board OF public works-absolutely
prevent the recurrence of such events as not in
frequently used to occur. l truly believe that
the possible injury to the city from amending
the above section is now at minimum, while
tie benefits arising from it are at a maximum.
Iconclude with the request that we strike out
that part which applies TO the council, and then
before our next biennial election appeal to our
business men TO allow their to go before the
public and aid in making Seattle's municipal
affairs what they justly should be-prosperous,
vigorous, and creditable to our city and state.
ABE SPRING,