The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-02-02
coon sEx FOX raE couscrL

SEATTLE. Feb. /. isei.
To rHg EpErax. Uxing 10 the present
excitement IN munic3rai affairs and the
general belief that the las gisi Re ousied
and ths. the ssouts" will be s'inEed. |
fear that which Is of the greatest ifnpor;-
ance 10 the city viii be lost sight OF,
namely, the election of city council
whose very name and business standing
shall be q guarantee against the recurrenes
OF such scandals As the city is now suffer
ing from
throughout the United States, IL not
through large portion of Europe. Seattle
has earned the reputation of being city
marvellous for its undaunted courage. And
all that reputation has been earned by the
ever readiness OF our citizens to sacrifce
selfinterest for the good OF the whole city,
Through the many crises that this city
has had to pass its citizens have stood
loyalty. and one might add heroicaliy. by
each other. offering on the altar OF Seattle
not only their accumulated earnings. but
what vas OF greater use and value. their
energy, thrift, courage and credit And
thus, despite Of the many and powerful
rivals and enemies, Seattle stands today
the Queen City of the Northwest
readers in all candor and with all earnest
ness. have We not reached stage where
the very same self-sacrifcing spirit Of the
past is absolutely indispensable to the
maintenance of Seattie's supremacy
1 freely admit that serving on the city
council for $25 month, being subjected to
the many annoyances, abuses, suspicious
and even accusations. and to the frequent
ND Of sr,as Sy.fsp fSf MAJ
press. is anything but pleasant.
But let rs look on the other side OF the
picture. Today We are in debt little
more than So. 500, 600. which means an an
nual tax for interest alone Of $i75. 900.
We have reached that stage in our growth
as q city when village conditions of clean
illness and healthfulness will no longer
answer our purpose. That economy is abb
solutely needed in Seattle Is evident to
every one. That economy as an exact
science il least understood may not be so
generally evident.
Moth ing. not even the present waste OF
the city money. could iniure 6eastle so
badly as aretrogressive move in our growth
would. We are not alone in the race for
commercial supremacy. There are many
others equally equipped. equally endowed:
they will pass US.
What We need and what We must have
in our city council are men who know the
difference between economy and moss
backism. That We must stop paying three
prices for one on our public works is true
(were this intended as q criticism on our
present administration, facts and figures
could easily be produced to prove that in
many instances public work costs this city
thrice as much as the ordinary market
value for such labor); but it Is equally true
that We must pave our streets; that we
must commence work on the gravity sys-
TEN for our water works; that we must
stop using lake water and paying $4,000
annually FOR the pumping of il when We
can get good mountain spring water with
cut the expenditure of one penny for
pumping. Nor can We much longer do
the city's business in 1.-THE barn" and call
that q city hall.
All this proves conclusively that we
have reached that period when we must
have on our city council men who have
learned in their own business the differ
ence between economy and mossbackism.
And. taking the past as a guide. there is
no reason to believe that our business
men, when their attention has once been
called to the necessity thereof, will refuse
to serve Seattle in its councils
Seattle is not too poor to pay for needed
improvements TO enable her to continue in
her onward march as the Queen City, but
far too poor to pay three prices for one TO
enable q remorseiess, cruel cabal to per-
petuate itself in power. ABE SPRING.