The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-11
YEsLER AVENUES DoUBLETRAcK.
Alderman Jordan Insists on Cable COM
pany Fulflifny Its Contract.

psfHf tulnlffnx It's ScutEEfct-
Seattle. aprTi -. 1ssS
To tt1s ET.r~. As re rep. sSeufStxSe
and agent - the cs-.zens q SeaTefs-
cannot sipinely stand BY ~ase 50 grea<
q wrong Is perps-rased against the cry as
- con -errizsased ami Is now sesfg a.
tempted by the Yesfer Avenue Caoae LAR
Company and their attorneys and Trends
n the city council Citizens are IN tsazs
trying hassr using every ho1oTak,le en-
deayo~ 20 revive The business N seattle
ard 10 AFFORD aid and relie< 20 orr idle
Iafsorers. Men are even Jeopardizsng
Their coz,lnrrcaal honor IN noble effort
20 raise a subsidy for the South canal,
thinking slus 20 relieve our working peo-
pie and stimulate business ArsoToprxa-
tons are made By our c.ty council 10 <0r-
n1sa soup houses for car d2SSressed poor,
and al are praying with fe-sor Tor sslcn
change IN the financial and business
conditions that viii reorgsnaze the tn
bucket brigade and revive our ularSs *
trade Suddenly there Is ss1rsarsc O.
good fortunei There now becomes due 20
our c@tlzoas a legal obligation from q
party Of Eastern alien Ta1l1oszlazres by
which several hundred thousand dollars
would a. this time De distributed n pay
mens for goods furnished and labor done.
Here as offered an opportunity for cur
merchants and lano-srs 10 earn and not
beg livelihood and IL would seem that
every dicsat5on oG self interest, honor.
public faith and justice makes clear cur
duty 90 demand. particularly a. this time.
The fulfilling OF this obligation IL s
known certainly that Il these obligated
Eastern mal.onaires do not feed Justified
IN carrying out their contract, Others
stand ready 10 Immediately expeld ST.
eo.ee IA the same enterprise for Us. Yet
under these circumstances. what Is now
efdeavored? The most shameless abuse
or delegated power and the most out
raseous sacrifice OF the peoples interests.
In times OF ordinary prosperity and in
the general scramble for riches, such
ssgislat2ye conduct night be looked upon
as dereibctfon OF duty; but under the
present circumstances, where our uer-
camille and labor elements are staSiing
Idle IN dagn1ied suIleaness awaiting the
opportunity TO earn their wage and prodit,
such conduct is simply infamous on the
part OF the peoples agents. Do council
men forget Who pay them and whose in
terests alone they are chosen 10 defend
and advance? l am for the protection
OF the rights OF the citizens who elected
me as against the impudent demands Of
these foreign beneffciar.es oc cur fran
cnises. Thai learned and eminent Eng
fish statesman. Edmund Burke. has well
stated this principle and sentiment in
these words:
1T is TO the property of the citizen and
not TO the demand OF the creditor Cor
debtor) of the state tcity) that this orig
inal faith is given. The claim OF the citi-
zen Is prior in time. paramount in title,
and superior In equity"
The facts are simply these: The
city granted a charter TO the Yesler Ave-
nue. Cable Car Company under certain
specific conditions. one of which is that
five years after such grant, which is now,
this company is TO complete its doad by
making 1t double track. Under their
grant or contract with the city, If they
do not Immediately build that other track
they VIII forfeit their charter. To fulfill
their contract and build this track will
necessitate the immediate expenditure in
labor and merchandise of $4,000 among
our merchants and those most worthy
and distressed citizenS-the working men.
The people who are under obligations 10
expend this money are alien millionaires-
j state that they are all aliens. residing
in New York and other Eastern cities, TO
show that the councils duty Is not to
them but TO the citizen first. Because
they ara millionaires they may without
any loss To themselves. greatly aid our
own needy people by promptly fulfilling
their obligations. They stand as do alien
bondholders. We all know what lenieney
the alien holders of our city bonds have
for us when any interest charge becomes
due. That must be paid at once. And
striking popularity in connection with
that is that our councilmen are even
ready to furnish funds by taxation for
the immediate payment OF IL, under the
plea OF preserving commercial honor.
A violation of the stipulattons of a con-
tract on the part of an individual is
deemed a heinous commercial offense.
The same offense on the part or a cor
poration Is always in~order.
The most astounding fact In connection
with this matter is that the citizens me We
like dumb cattle driven 10 the shanbles
and make no protest. Another wondrous
condition is that / ind myself almost
alone In our city council denouncing the
brazen in1pertinence OF this cable car
company This is more remarkable be-
cause a petition signed by every resident
along the line of the Yesler avenue rail-
way has been presented to the city coun-
ell demanding that the terms OF the grant
or franchise be fulfilled These residents
bought their, homes on the line of that
street railway with the assurance that
their track would be doubled by 1895. and
IL there is any force in the legal rrinci-
pie Of vested rights" and the 'inv!5la-
bility Of contracts" except where invok I'd
for the benefit of corporations. let X now
be demonstrated
| ask the people of the city of Seattle:
What are you going 10 do about II? For
rights of corporations. believing that such
should be protected. still shall battle in
sistently while councilman, as the agent
OF the people. for my clients rights
against all such prerosterous, inpddent,
unjust and ungrateful claims as are now
advanced by the Yesler Avenue Cable Car
Coupany j. EUGENE JORDAN.