The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-12-09

abundant power. More han 500 horse
power for which electric power could be
substituted is used in this city each day.
II costs from % cents 10 81 per horse pow
er 10 produce IL. This company declares 1t
can deliver power here for about half that
price, which means a saving OF sI50. 00 a
year. which is interest upon S2,SQ,0n OF
borrowed capital. That means 4 great
deal 10 the industries OF this city. In CALI
fornia engineers are exploring he Sierra
Nevada range for hundreds OF miles IN
quest OF available power. Back OF Los
Angeles more than 100 miles a power IL
being developed: az the head Of the San
Joaquin valley another. and they talk not
only OF delivering electric power along that
valley, but even to San Francisco. $50 miles
away. From explorations already made II
is estimated that more than 2se,e1 horse
power is available. We have just as much
in our mountains. only nearer by. Back
Of Renton a few miles is Cedar falls.
where the river drops more than LOCO feet
in a few miles. There arS perpendicular
falls more than 100 feet high. In a good
stage OF water an enormous power can De
generated there. and after the water has
been put 70 this use IL can then be taken
10 Swan lake and to this city. For. hap
ply. water does not wear out, except by
drinking il. The inexhaustible power of
~Snoqualmie falls and from other points
can be brought here. folly is IL then
10 talk OF this city. without money and
credit exhausted, trying to capture a mo-
nopoly of power. Competition AN be de-
pended upon to give us cheap power. II
city is to be built here something must De
left for It's people 10 do.
Capital Must BE Welcomed.
Only a little over 50 per cent. OF the
taxes now due have been paid. When
people do not pay their taxes il is because
they cannot. Four out of ten of the tax
payers OF this city are delinquent. some
of them hopelessly so. VIII any OF the
four vote 10 increase their BURDEN Ot
the other six, many have had a hard
struggle TO pay them, and may fan the
next time. VIII any OF the six vote 70 in
crease the burden? VIII the working man
or the man who pays no taxes vote for
this measure, and why? The success or
this wicked measure means litigation and
long delay, and will drive many hun
dreds OF thousands Of dollars away. All
the people of this city must stand or fall
together. Prosperity cannot come 10 part.
and will never come by breaking down
the taxpayers or destroying the credit OF
the city. Capital must be welcomed and
assured a reasonable return. or IL will go
elsewhere. Let some OF these people VINO
favor this great and unnecessary burden
OF debt ask the mayor or comptroller OF
the city where the money is coming from
for the next interest day, and they may
get information that will startle them.
If the advocates of this ordnance were
not as blind of eye as OF understanding
they could not go upon the streets without
seeing scores OF their fellow citizens
whose burden Of debt and taxation is
crushing. Take a man who is along in
years, who has been well-to-do, and al
ways been able TO promptly meet his bills;
let him see all his accumulations slipping
away, and no way to turn for relief, and
the anxiety and sleeplessness and despair
kill him.
Such a pitiful condition of affairs as this
has slain its tens OF thousands through
out this country in the last few distress
full years, and it has it's victims in our
midst today, and God forbid that any or
us should add to their burden. l have
been in this city nearly six years, and
this is the first time l have ever appeared
in the public prints, but I feel that the
transcendent Importance of the subjects
discussed is a good excuse for it at this
time. H. c. HENRY.