The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-31

that the Northern Pacific Railway Com
pany can throttle our commercial suprem-
acy. II such Is Its desire.
With the Palmer cutoff. Seattle Is
Is closer to the oceans highway, and
have no doubt that the Northern Pacific
Railway Company desires to avail itself
aged the Great Northern. let us encourage
the Northern Pacific Let us take sides
against neither, but let the city council
approach the question OF vacatfng the
streets untrammeled; and the advice that
I would proffer them would be. treat the
petition Of the Northern Pacific In q
vacated, the vacation to take effect only
upon the completion Of the proposed i'm
provements."
MIR. LATIMER's SOLUTION.
N. H. Latimer:
ut would be much better in the long run
for the interests of the city and the busi-
pots Of ali the railroads. and the passen-
ger depots,. for that matter, were placed
In the southern end of the city. or where
have aaa se Ensr against aTs Ss @or
ern Pacific, but on the general principle
Of the welfare Of the city for the future
to be made between the main streets and
the water 'front.'
LET ALL COME IN.
Samuel Rosenberg
II am in favor of letting as many rail-
roads into Seattle as possible If seven
roads went to come in, ! say let them all
come This proposition of the Northern
Pacific just narrows itself down to the va
eating OF a few streets 1t Is very little
distance, anyway and some of the streets,
like Seneca, for example. are not used
and never can be- The railroad company
has rights which ought to be respected,
the same as individuals have. As far as
local merchants trade Is concerned it will
not make any difference. Travellers don't
run right from the passenger station
wherever 1t is. to the stores They go to
their hotels first and start out from there
to do their buying. The putting of the
proposed Improvements where the North
ern Pacific asks to place them will neither
make no break the town. Seattle will
continue to grow and prosper just the
same. If the council will grant the petitions
the road asks for. have confidence that
the council will do what is right in the
matter for the good and welfare of the
city. We must not all let the feeling that
existed in former days against the North
present time, as the company has already
recognized Seattle to. be the main shipping
point on the Sound"
WOULD De AN OUTRAGE.
Robert H. Lindsay:
II think II the city council should grant
the Northern Pacific's request 1t would be
city front and desecrate 1T by giving 1t to
the Northern Pacific or any other corpor-
alton. l. am not particularly fighting the
Northern Pacific, but am fighting to pre-
serve our water front. That is now the
principal portion of our business center,
and to dedicate 1t to a corporation is sim
has purchased several blocks of water
front property the city should say to 1t,
No. we will not vacate the streets you
ask for. You can use the blocks you have
w vi
give you no more Should their request
be granted 1t will drive business to the
north and south OF that part OF the city.
which is now the principal business CEN
ter. 1t will ruin the values of real estate
in that section, and the constant clang
ing Of bells and pouring forth Of smoke
trict. which at the present time is the
commercial center. / am most emphatic-
ally opposed to granting the Northern Pa
WILL BENEFIT FIRST AVENUE.
Albert Hansen:
81 think it will be a benefit to First ave-
nue., and certainly cannot interfere with
Second. think the quicker we have some
improvements in the part OF town where
the. incoming passenger traffic arrives. the
better. And we want the depot and other
railroad buildings to be adjacent to a pleas
ant part of the city, so that strangers ar
irving in Seattle will receive at least a
favorable impression Of the place from the
appearance of the surroundings. to say
nothing of the convenience of being de-
posted near to the better parts of the
town. This consideration alone would, in
my opinion, make a person who gave
thought to the matter prefer the site pro-
posed, near the present. terminus. to any
that could be located south OF Yesler
way"
WOULD "sTRANGLE COMMERCE.,
Judge McGilvra:
'"rhe proposed location is no place for
depots and especially freight depots Al
that place such structures would congest
the traffic SO as to strange the commerce
of the water front. 1t would give a mo-
nopoly to the Northern Pacific, foreign
nd unfriendly corporation. The new sur
face crossings proposed are only SO many
more additional death traps They should
not be permitted and these we now have
should be removed and replaced by over
head crossings. Without the vacation OF
Western avenue, Marion, Spring and Sem
eca streets these things cannot be done
In my opinion 1t would be insane folly and
criminality for the city council to vacate
these streets for such purposes, and that,
too. against the overwhelming weight OF
public sentiment II u the consensus OF