The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-16
THE TERMINAL PLAN.
c. J. Smith on Railroad Avenue
Situation.
he REPLIES TO JUDGE BURKE.
Manager Of tho Oregon Improvement
corning Great Northern'a Scheme.


terminal question. He said:
see Judge Burke, the Great Northern attor-
ney, jumps on 70 Us in a recent interview. and IL
said to have exhibited considerable feeling. TIE
judges feelings are like paint on an acto7 face
it can BE put of or on with equal facility. AZ
the play requires II The Judge has been 80 &C.
cnstomet to addressing iuries and throwing
Gust IN the air TO obscure the main points at Is
cue that he naturally uses the same methods
when addressing the public. He has by one
means or another obtained for the Great North
ern railway every concession the city can
grant, even TO its birthright, and finding moth
ing more can be had from the city, with an IN
satisfied appetite he has turned TO the rights Of
private citizens and corporations. and, as the
interview states shows great feeling that there
should be anything in the way OF vested rights,
long exercised, which cannot be empt!ed into
the bottomless gulf of his desires.
The Judge holds up the Oregon Improvement
Company as an opponent OF public Improve
| ments. Now, everybody thinks, and rightly.
700, that a terminal company TO operate on
Railroad avenue and furnish joint PASSENGER
and freight facilities with common and equal
rights to all railroads now in Seattle or here
alter to come here, would be great public I'M
provement, probably the greatest in the city's
history. The Oregon Improvement Company
| has valuable and necessary existing rights ana
| property. It is now and has been willing to
| turn these into such a company, and has prof.
fered plans TO the other interested companies 10
| bring about such an improvement Does this
| exhibit enmity TO public Improvements? Those
| plans are open to inspection and criticism at
the hands of any intelligent citizen or engineer.
| They have not been accepted by the Great
| Northern railway because they require por-
| ton of their franchise aud property on Railroad
| avenue shall be turned over to the terminal
| company at cost, as necessity OF its existence
| They are willing TO share any new property, but
| will yield nothing Does this look like encour-
| aging public Improvements?
| The judge has gone back into ancient history
| to find fuel For his present feeling. and while we
| are there we will round out the picture OF
voracity he has painted. It has been matter
| of pride TO him, and deserved one, too that he
| contributed largely TO the laying ont Of Rail-
| road avenue 10 afford railroad facilities along
! the water front at Seattle Whether it was
| properly laid out 20 serve the public interests
| and whether II would not have saved the water
front for the shipping interests without hurting
| the railroad by placing it next to the bluffs,
| where the tracks could be crossed by overhead
| crossings with tiiing expense, we will not dis
| cuss here. II is easier to crticise than to DO
| anything and the laying out of Railroad avenue
| was done under the best judgment at that time,
| After tho avenue was laid out, the judge saw
/ a great deal of public property that needed i'm
| proving and introduced, with the horld style
| and great feeling he uses in descantiug on
l
| railroad, and in tho general enthusiasm
| with which its birth was hailed, he
| slipped in a modest request for an ex'
| elusive right of thirty feet on Railroad avenue,
| which was granted by reclamation. Surprised at
! the facility with which this was done, and that
! he had been SO moderate, he looked over the
field again. and taking the precaution this time
| to obtain the concession and dilate on the
! great benefits and improvement later, he intro
| duces the Seattle & Montana railway az the
| owner OF an exclusive right OF sixty feet on
| Railroad avenue, and as some conservative citi.
| gems of Seattle were disposed to doubt the pro-
| priety and advisability of disposing of every
| thing the city had without restriction, he drew
| their attention adroitly fro N the main point at
| issue by a cloud of dust as to the vast benefits
| to be derived from competing railroad, and
| by appeals 70 prejudice against existing COM
| panies. While the public was still in doubt, he
| assists in introducing the Portland Puget
! Sound railroad lin which the Great Northern
| railway had q half INTEREST," as the owner OF q
! franchise OF twenty-five feet on Railroad
avenue, thus rounding out the entire property.
with no restrictions or provisions for the future,
Into tho hands OF three corporations, every one
| Of which had obtained its rights by his efforts
| or through his assistance.
| Everything the city had to give was now
taken. Its birthright was gone. its power to
equalize the facilities nullity, and its oppor-
tunity to attract other railroads in the future
| clipped to good will only.
do not wish in the least to undervalue the
| beneficial effects OF the coming OF these rail-
roads TO Seattle. They have given and will give
n great impetus to the growth and development
of the city II was not necessary for their COM
ing. however. OF ioc their existence here, or adj
visable for tho true permanent interests OF the
city TO sacrifice the exclusive use OF the on y
avenue OF approach the city controlled for all
time to come aud the or anting away OF all rights
on this avenue was outrsge and injury
which the city Will feel when the present con-
troversies aud their causes shall have been for
gotten.
The Judge still seems uusatlsfed with hi,
achievements. The city has more, but other
| corporations and citizens have, and he wishes a
| division. Why does lie not rectiy past errors
| while 4 can be done, aud obtain that division
! by an adjustment OF the Rail- road avenue grant
! so a terminal com pany can reach out hand to
other companies while 1t can be done? He has
| an opportunity TO serve the public by al i'm
provement which shall be permanent and watch
would be uamixad with any questions Of inter.
| ssted motives.
As TO the record Of the Oregon Improvement,
| Company friend Of Seattle, shall not en-.
! ter upon any euiogics or econiums Every man
who lived in seattle from 1881 to 1856 (possib Y
that is TOO early for the iudge). knows the vel
fare and lie OF the city dope nded that time
On the operation of the Oregon Improvement
Company AZ the darkest hour in the citys his
tory that company extended its railroad &c
/ Franklin. and would have built 20 the common
p0iut = connection cou have beeu made IL.
ssw mills, docks Rni bunsers were built or en-
larged. the standard gauge railroad To III,
PuyallUp valley was operated (at a !Oss), bring
| ing trade 70 Seattle, aud large portion OF III
| property on tie water front bought and paid
FOR.
This WAS not when values were assured anc
there were no r.sss taken, but Al time when l.
have faith liz Seattle required money and Ell
durs-Cs, not words and boasting
The oregon Improvement Company has paid
for It's property occupied CIV its docks snC
vharves snd railroad and does not seek the eli
Of property OF the public or % private cit ZEN
under the eQise OF public improvement. Ever
! the rams horn franchise, except street cross
ings. has been paid for on many pieces o. prop
! erty. sad enjoys in that res peet clearer tisl,
anu right than aag franchise III the city.
The fact IS, tie judge has a. old campaign
! speech he made against the Northern PAcId
| railroad some years ago. which he occas 3onkll
| brings out 81 council meetings or dus: throwing
/ times. and he has rcvamped 4 now by inserting
the name Of the Oregon Improvement Com
! pauy instead OF tae Northern Pacific railroad
! think nave fairy esrned the chrome ot.ere,
by the !U-ge. 5ut - IL not ca. on an FOR !,
| III order toat AT may bs encouraged, hover,
W. SIS q ali rights IN it, aad give saothe
/ equally ssge and prepared IN tie same lu.It
oo-ors 10 any one y a. csn point 20 any publ
spolisnon Is cCEpoi atoms al Seattle ia the as
I've wears greater than the grants on RalIroa
avenue. II vaiea JllEe Burke as prominent.
engaged either as ~ ncipa4 Or assistant
, New Special joint Tariff sheets.
. The Northern Pacific system, in connec