The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-07-15

which can be OBTAINED from the people
directly benefited
In other words, this company may con-
sent TO lower Lake Washington, the
farmers of King county VIII pay them
their price for so doing.
They viii, no doubt, also demand COM
pensation for the water power they lose
By the operation.
This corporation will no doubt claim, as
the other canal company does, that by the
act Of the construction Of their canal they
have obtained lien upon the waters OF
Lake Washington that will enable them
TO prevent the lowering OF that lake. even
by the government OF the United States,
except upon due compensation.
The more waterways OF this KIND We
have, the worse we are on so Tar as our
agricultural interests in the river valleys
referred to are concerned
To kill agriculture IS TO xii goose
that lays many golden egg
But even this is not the worst feature OF
the scheme under consideration.
1t is the evident purpose OF this corpora
ton TO abstract the money TO excayate
and construct these waterways and nj In
the tide fiats, out of the people OF TINS city
and county, through the fundamentally
of that vicious asst of our state legislature,
passed March 8, 1898. entitled IAN act
prescribing the way IN which waterways
for uses of navigation may be excayated 5y
private contract, providing for liens upon
tide and shore lands belonging TO the
state, granting right-of-way across lands
belonging to the state, To be found IN the
session laws of 1893, page 241 to 246.
The whole superstructure OF the tide
flats scheme is based upon this act, and
the canal part oft is a mere incident.
Under the provisions of this act the
commissioner Of public lands may in his
discretion enter into contract with any
person or corporation ''for the excavation
of any waterway or waterways through
any lands belonging to the state OF Wash
ington. or 10 any citizen or corporation OF
said state, and for the filling IN
and raising above high tide of any
tide or shore lands belonging to
the state of Washington, and upon the
completion of such contract such person
or persons or incorporated company shall
have lien as in this act provided upon
all tide and shore lands belonging to the
state of Washington adjacent to such
waterway and remaining unsold at the
date of the approval of this act. that they
may fill in and raise above high tide. and
all purchasers of said tide and shore lands
from the state of Washington shall take
the same subject to said lien"
This contract does not fix the price for
these excavations and filing in, but the
fourth section of this act does FL it at the
said commissioner is required to issue his
certificate therefor, and the amount
specified in the certlfi cate is TO bear inter-
est at the rate of s per cent. per annum
until paid.
Section 2 provides for the approval of
the contract by the governor, but there is
no provision In the whole act that the
governor or any other offie Ger or person,
except the commissioner who issues the
certificate, shall have any thing to do with
determining what the actual cost Is or
shall be agreed upon to be.
This cost. consisting of the items OF ex-
pense connected with excavating water
WAYS, including the canal between the
bay and lake. constructing bulkheads, and
perhaps tide gates and locks, as we'll as
the filling in of the tide flats. is all to be
saddied upon the land filled in, and this
as fixed by the contractor and commits
sioner, together with Is per cent. added,
and the per cent. interest, Is TO be paid
by the purchaser from the state, in addi-
ton to the appraised value of the same
land by the state
But the great fault of this law as to the
point under consideration, Is the opDor-
tunity, amounting almost to a license,
given TO the commissioner, to adjudge the
cost OF the work in question, at fictitious
or fancy figures.
Ii Is the value, not the cost of such work,
that should be made the basis of the con-
tract; and the value should be determined
by board TO consist. say of the governor,
secretary of state and commissioner OF
public lands.
But the most Objectionable feature of
this act is the privilege IL gives TO the con-
tractor to construct tide gates or locks IN
any one or ali of these waterways. even on
the tide flats or at the mouth OF the Du-
vanish river, and thus exclude commerce
and navigation therefrom, except on the
condition Of paying such toll as the con-
tractor might choose to levy.
There are many other grave objections
to this scheme and this law, such as APP
propriating school lands to private
use withou. compensation, making
large provision for commercs that
does not exist, and can not be
created by this scheme, constructing
wooden hulkheads and locks only to be
eaten by worms and crumbled by natural
decay, and forcing large tracts of made
land upon the market not required for
actual use; but il reason and common
sense is to prevail and fraud and corrup-
ton is not to rule then there Is no neces-
sity for further elaboration; If otherwise,
such elaboration would be LABOR In vain.
If We have any surplus funds or can
command any. let US employ them In Gre
ating values such as improving and re-
claiming rich agricultural lands, develop
ing our mineral and other natural re
sources and creating manufacturing estab-
lishments.
1t is not only the tide lands adjacent to
the harbor OF Seattle that IS involved. but
all the tide lands within or in front OF in
eorporated cities or towns or within one
mile thereof on either side, bordering on
all the tide waters of the state.
These vast areas OF tide lands, II pre-
served and pro. ected until they are re.
CURED tor legitimate use, will afford the
means OF creating an immense fund Tor
the benefit OF the state and the cities OF
the state.
Already this Seattle and Lake Washing
ton Waterway Company has procured the
adoption OF is plan OF waterways over the
tide fats in the harbor OF Seattle, canal
and al, and the next step viii be TO apply
for a contract under this act OF March .,
lsa3.
Ii is to be hoped that no contract what
ever will be entered into by the state until
the legislature has had an opportunity TO
amend or repeal the act in question.
In about six months our state legisia-
turs will meet and the entire house and
half the senate will be new and fresh from
the people. Why not allow the new iegis-
lature to have an opportunity TO pass upon