The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-11-01

suffered in it's development for
years on account of inadequate
transportation facilities. Twenty
years ago 1t was plated and ex-
plotted by land company, which
installed a ferry across Elliott
bay and a street car line from
the ferry landing to the top of the
hill. After selling lot of prop
erty on the strength of the exist
ence of these transportation lines,
the car line was abandoned, and
later torn up.
Some six years ago, after ex-
hausting all other efforts to get
q street car line, the citizens of
West Seattle decided to incorpor-
ate and build one themselves as a
municipal project. In its initial
stages this project did not arouse
much opposition from the private
street railroad interests. Mu-
nicipal ownership of street rail-
roads had been tried in some 9TH
er places unsuccessfully, and it
was anticipated that this expert
ment also would prove failure.
Should it prove failure 1t would
be another horrible example" for
the use of street railroad inter
ests in opposition ing7S90$. .NU
ests in opposing the extension of
the principle.
But a most astonishing thing
occurred. The car line, when
completed, perfected negotiations
with the ferry line giving joint
fare of 8 cents, only half of which
went to the car line. But even on
this fare of 21a cents the car line
began to prosper, and even to
show u profit. This changed the
attitude of the street railroad in
terests. Had 1t been permitted
to continue to prosper and devel-
OPP, the municipal car line, in
stead of being "a horrible example
ownership, would have become "a
horrible example of the arrogance,
greed and public robbery of pri-
yately owned street railway~sys-
tens Already the West Seattle
line had attained nationwide pub
Lefty as an example of the sue
cess of municipal ownership.
1t was at this point that the
street railway interests set about
to crush the experiment, to get
the line away from it's public own
ers. In this campaign to accom-
plish this end, several law suits
were instituted, practically all of
which went against the municipal
ity, three of them being decided
iy against it in the supreme court.
AS a result of this conflict be-
-ween the people of West Seattle
on the one hand and the street.
'ailroad interests on the other,
carried on both in politics and in
he courts, the people of West Sc
attic were worn out and discour-
aged, abandoned their enterprise,
sold it to the Seattle Electric COM
Dany, and voted to annex itself to
Seattle.
DeWoIfe, who had conducted
several of these suits for the city,
became convinced that improper
influences in connection with
them, and on June 10, 1909, adj
dressed a communication to Gov
ernor Hay, in which he charged
that every member of the supreme
court except Judge Parker had vio-
lated his oath of office and was I'M
fit either to sit on the bench or
to practice law i'm the courts. He
asked that the charges be trans
mitted to the legislature for inves-
tigation. Instead of doing so, Gov
ernor Hay returned the charges,
saying:
"Unles syou can furnish proof
that the members of the courts
have accepted brides or been cor
rupt I do not feel that / can bring
your letter before the coming ses-
sion."
DeWolfe then sent his charges to
the senate, but President Ruth Of
that body intercepted them and
sent them to President Bridges of
the State Bar association.
DeWolfe also sent his charges to
the house of representatives,
where they were referred to the
Judiciary committee. That COM
mittee recommended the appoint
ment of a special committee to
probe them, and Speaker Meigs
appointed on the committee four
country lawyers and e. B. Palmer,
who had already figured in the re-
port of the Powell committee as
possessing special facilities for
procuring advance Information of
the doing of the supreme court.
DeWolfe appeared before this
committee and protested against
the presence on 1t of Palmer, be-
cause Palmer was himself involved
in so many matters to be investi-
gated. The committee, however,
proceeded with its investigation,
but found that it could hardly turn
In any direction without crossing
Palmer's mysterious tracks.
It was decided to ask Palmer to
withdraw from the committee.
Palmer Withdrew, and the commit
tee was just settling down to its
work again when the senate re-