The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-04-21
SENT BACK TO
THE MUOHOlE
PEACEFUL VALLEY CITIZENS
ONCE MORE FLIM-FLAMMED,
WITH LAW AND FACTS
CLEARLY IN THEIR FAVOR.

IsH.
With the room full OF Peaceful
valley petitioners last night, the
city council made some pretense of
considering the assessment role of
the Main avenue Improvement
The matter has been held back for
about a year at the instance of
/" the Graves interests. and last night
1t was up for final confirmation.
The Spokane Inland people had
not even deemed it necessary to
file formal protest within the time
limit prescribed for citizens lack
ing city hall pull, and subsequent
developments proved that the COM
pany invited no serious risks by
such neglect.
The matter was once more re-
ferred. this time to May II, at
which time it is expected that the
charter amendment providing for
extension of improvement districts
beyond the confines of abutting
property will have been decided by
the general election.
The argument brought to light
the interesting fact that tightening
the burden from the Graves peo-
pie on this identical improvement
was one of the objects considered
in proposing the amendment.
Last nights proceedings afford
ed opportunity for fiim-fam team
work between Frank Graves. attor-
ney for the Inland Empire inter
ests, and City Attorney Allen, a
method of procedure in which
Graves proved an adept and Allen
a willing second.
Aliens opinion 1.-THE council
needs legal opinions in matters af-
fecting the interests of corpora
tions), was that the Graves be-
lated protest had no standing in
law because of not being filed in
time. He also said that the con-
tention that the Graves properly
assessed would not be benefited
might be founded in law had II
been presented according to law,
but as the matter stood the &C,
ton of the council in confirming
the role would be conclusive.
- Frank Graves then proceeded to
crate after his usual fashion, TAX
ing the city attorneys opinion as
statement that the sacred prop
erty rights of fac Inland system
3. were about to be outraged because
of the Discrimination of the COM
pany to conform to the law that
individual citizens are compelled
TO comply with. Whatever affirma-
tives he deemed his argument
needed were supplied by Mr.. Allen
without hesitation.
City Engineer Ralston helpeo
some with remarks on the scale of
civic Improvements he has in his
head for the riverbank section in
years to come as inducements for
the council to accede to the Graves
wishes in the matter. Ralston had
nothing definite to pronounce, but
limited of things of far greater i'm
port than Immediately furnishing
couple of thousand citizens a
road they could travel into the
heart of the city.
Attorney w. S. Dawson appear
ed for the Peaceful valley property
owners; Lambert, as ward repre-
sentative, made as good bluff as
he was capable of, and number
of citizens interested entered their
pleas for the improvement. 1t was
shown that in winter wholesale
houses refused to deliver goods
into the valley but all that weigh
ed little against the Graves con.
, tention that the company would be
. assessed $4,000 for the improve
g.. ment, whereas under the proposed
amendment this amount could be
distributed among property own
ers on either side who had already
improved their abutting property
and paid for it under the old sys-
TEN.
Mr.. Graves stated that his COM
pany wished to be very fair ana
pay its share of all civic improve
ment, demonstrating at the same
time that it intended to pay no
more than it could be forced to
pay. What 1t can be forced to pay
through the present attitude of the
council and administration officials
looks microscopic enough to suit
:. the company, certainly.
The whole performance again
= emphasizes the fact that city Or
dinance and charter provisions
amount to little except when they
happen to apply to the ordinary
property holder who lacks city
hall influence" and attorneys TO
instruct the council as to exactly
how he wishes to eyade civic regu.