The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-12-12

with characteristic and petty spiteful-
ness. the Tacoma News snarIs and whines
ut every mention which IL made Of the
Lake washington waterway. and insinu-
atss that the sole purpose OF the canal
proposition IL to procure the expenditure
OF large amount Of public money in
the vicinity Of Seattle. Even II this were
tina primary cause OF seattle's support Of
the measure. which It 10 not. It is diff
cult to zee why any resident Of the state
Of Washington should object seriously to
The expenditure Of large sums OF money
by the government In what are admitted
~ important public undertakings within
the state. no matter what may be the
particular locality In which those expen-
ditures are made. The whole state profts
by the expenditure: and the narrow.
petty, provincial jealousy which would
seek TO prevent It because, forsooth. some
other town than its own would receive
the largest benefit therefrom, has up TO
this time found Its sole expression in this
state In the columns Of the Tacoma news
papers. For the credit Of Tacoma Il Is
to BE- hoped that the city's newspapers
in their exhibition OF this spirit. do not
reflect tho actual public sentiment OF the
town.
30 far as the Lake Washington water
way IL concerned. that scheme was svolv-
ed and set In motion not. as the News
indignantly intimates. by any coterie OF
real estate operators. but by Gen. Bar
ton q. Alexander. then senior engineer
OF the United states army. after a per-
recommendation that canal be cut by
the government. connecting the waters OF
Lake Washington with those OF Puget
sound. was made before the terminus OF
the Northern Pacific railroad was cstab-
Iished on Commencement bay. and before
the present town of Tacoma came into
existence. Gen. Alexander was among
the most distinguished engineering OH
GERS in the United States army. The
project commended itself to him because
In this manner. and In this manner alone
IN ideal fresh water hareor. capacious
enough 10 float the combined navies Of
the world. sheltered from any storm. and
within easy reach OF the ocean, could be
had at an expense scarcely greater than
that which the government has been CALI
ed upon to incur In dredging out mere
fresh water basins for the aceommoda-
tlon OF two or three vessels on the At
iantic scscoast
so far from political and local business
Interests being those which have pressed
the most strongly for the completion Of
this great public work. the direct con-
trary has been the case Engineer OH
Ger after officer In the United states
army has gone over the ground. and with
out one single exception each one Of
them has gone away enthusiastically in
favor OF the canal Precisely the same
has been the case with the various naval
Officers who from time 70 time have been
detsiied by the department to report upon
the feasibility and desirahility OF the
protect, Not one single adverse repor,
has ever been made from any officer In
either service. All of them were free
from any suspicion Of having been Infiu.
eneed by local pressure. and no, one OF
them had any consideration affecting his
judgment save the desire to advance the
interests OF the public service
Had either the war or the navy de-
parsment at any tlme 10 the past twenty
years been given an absolutely free hand
In the matter this canal would have been
built long ago, Had any European ma.
ton a body 81 fresh water such as Lake
Washington situated with respect 10 tia,
water as Il is situated. canal would
have been constructed generations ago
and every other nation would have snviss