The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-11-12

The Bellingham bay papers of Nov.
devote considerable space to the ad-
dress of Judge Llchtenberg before the
Whatcom Commercial Club the pre-
vious evening on the subject of trade
relations between the bay cities and
San Juan county. We quote the fol-
lowing extracts from the Herald's re-
port:
"rhe judge opened his address by
referring to the future before Belling-
ham and pointing out what must be
done to see it realized. He said that
reading and study during the past
seven years, since he took up his resi-
dence in San Juan county, had con-
vinced him that there will be one great
city on the upper Sound-Seattle-
with such neighboring points as Ia
coma and Everett practically Tributary
or suburban, and another city on Bell
ihgham bay with Blaine and Auacor
tes and other nearby places bearing the
same relation to this center as Everett
aud Tacoma to Seattle. The possibih-
ties for Bellngham, he believed, were
equal to those Of the other city.
There is as much comparison be-
tween the Bellingham of today and
the Seattle of fifteen years ago as there
is between gold and dirt observed
the speaker. To-day you have a mod
ern city started. At that time Seattle
had but one poor horse car line and Il
single cable. Her buildings were
wretched. But it is looking ahead and
building for the future that has mace
Seattle.
"He made the assertion that 1850
worth of trade from the neighboring
county go to Seattle while 81 comes to
BelIngham. This he ascribed as du,
to the influence of transportation com.
panies, and to the utmost Indifference
of the merchants of this city to tn,
business lying at their doors. Thi,
business, he pointed out, goes to Sc
attic in the face of the fact that Friday
Harbor, the county seat of San Juan, is
only twenty-nine miles from Beling
ham, while it is seventy-five from the
city up-SGund; that the center of the
county, Shaw island, is but % miles
from this bay and is seventy-five miles
from Elliott bay; and that the extreme
southern point, Richardson, is thirty
three miles from here and sixty-four
from Seattle.
"'But in building city, men are
most important said the speaker. For
this reason Whatcom never took the
advance it should have done. New
and active blood must come. Trade
ana commerce, brought by men alone,
are what build the city. You must
rest on your own bottom. TO gain
commerce, you must find market for
the products shipped in here. To Sc
cure market, you must find all out
let. To do this, you should get a share
i'm the business of the north
"Judge Lichtenberg gave instances
in which the people of San Juan coun-
ty had been unable to market their
produce and had given up in discour-
agement, going to Seattle where they
seemed to have no trouble. In point.
ing out the commercial possiblitles
with San Juair county, he said that it
had been part of Whatcom county
until 1878 and had been in the same
judicial district until a few years ago,
showing that it is naturally a part of
this community. Nevertheless, at the
present time, practically all the trade,
with the exception of little from
Orcas island, goes to Seattle.
Already the commerce OF San
Juan is so great said the speaker, that
the two regular steamers are unable to
handle it, and special boats are requir-
ed at certain seasons of the year to
transport the product. The statement
has been made that one of the regular
boats cleared S20,0 900 on its operations
last year. He pointed out that the
population OF the county is $500, the