The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-04
SOLELY A BUSINESS PROPOSITION

Seattle, Jan. 2, 1900.
To the Editor: have been asked to sign
a petition to the city council against grant,
ing the Northern Pacific's requests in re-
gard to changes along the water front, but
have felt compelled to decline to do So.
SO far from being displeased at the propo-
sltion, have always thought that the
place named is the ideal location for a
passenger station, and I am very partial
to 1t. We must have the water and rail
Transportation facilities brought just as
near together as possible, and the. only
way that this can be done Is to put the
railroad along the water front.
Certainly no body Of stockholders Is go
ing to expend a million dollars or more for
the purpose Of affecting unfavorably a city
which is one of its largest customers, and
in whose prosperity and growth their own
Is 80 largely bound up. We may, therefore.
take It for granted, without any chance OF
being mistaken, that the Northern Pacific
wants to make these changes because they
will enable 1t to handle its business better
and more cheaply; ana as that business
comes from or passes through Seattle, the
same conditions which make 1t more proti-
table to the railroad will make, 1t also more
profitable and advantageous to our mer-
chants, to all passengers arriving and de-
parting, and to all our citizens.
A great many people In Seattle look at
this matter from preJudiced point Of
view. The old feud between the Former
management OF the Northern Pacific and
the people of Seattle. though now a gone
by thing, influences peoples opinions But
the Northern Pacific company now and the
Northern Pacific company of twenty years
ago are two entirely separate things. It
Is hard for men to eliminate prejudices Of
long standing. OF course. no railroad COM
pany wants to come into Seattle simply for
the city's benefit They are coming in for
business. The more business done in Sc
attic the better it Is for Seattle as we'll as
for the railroad. Amy company that would
do anything to harm Seattle's business
would be simply committing an act Of folly
that no corporation ever does do, for It
would rebound on themselves and spoil
their own business to an equal or even
greater extent.
What has been said In regard to block
ing the water front reminds me Of what
Father Denny said years ago In a wonan's
suffrage meeting, In answering the charge
that II women ''dabbled In the filthy pool
Of politics' they would make 1t still worse
my friends" said he, II have had ex-
perienee In this work for sixty years, and
the devil himself could not make politics
any worse than 1t is now" Father Den
ny's characterization Of the state of politics
might well be used to describe the condi-
ton of the approach to our water front as
1t il today.
Certainly for the passenger traffic no
other as fine location could be found. 1t
is an important matter. and might with
propriety be left to vote Of the people.
While not profound believer In the prin-
ciple 'yox populi vox DEL" I still do be-
lieve that the deliberate. sober Judgment of
the people is pretty apt to be right. The
ero,,nd pronosed to be tlsed constitutes h,If
a very small part of our great water front.
Our shore line is available clear to Salmon
bay, so that the cry Of closing the water
front appears to me absurd.t The Northern
Pacific knows that the extension Of its
business will be largely affected by the
facilities 1t offers customers, and we may
- sure that It d not going 70 Do anything