The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1911-03-28

w. w. seymour, candidate Tor
mayor, would turn back the pub
lie service utilities owned by Ia
coma to private companies to ex-
ploit. The volley of questions
fired at him in his meetings
brought the truth last night and
shows the deep scheme by which
the interests would hope to regain
what they have lost.
For years the people of Tacoma
have fought the public utility cor
porations. They battled with the
power trust and it was a fight to
the finish. Today the drills are
blowing through the solid rock at
Legrande and the contractors are
busy building for this city the
finest power plant in. the world.
There Is nothing to compare with
1t in the whole country. The peo-
pie voted for it. They are paying
for 1t. They wanted 1t for them
selves and their children,
Waterfront Monopoly.
The city suffered from the time
1t was held up by the waterfront
monopoly. Time and again citi-
zens have arisen to demand relief
but the waterfront combine was
too strong and crushed them until
finally A. V. Fawcett, by dint or
personal aggressiveness, backed
by the people and the Times,
fought the combined powers of
the waterfront monopoly and sub
sidized press and won for the city
the municipal dock.
And now w. w. Seymour wants
to be mayor and to turn this
great asset of the people back to
the private dock companies to
manage and put the city right
back to the position from whence
1t came.
Mr. Seymour says he would not
urge the plan for the water plant
but on all other public utilities he
stands for leasing them to private
companies.
The Times has known that the
effort to place Mr.. Seymour IN
power is an effort of the special
interests to come back into con-
tAci' ilC ID DdChcu NY lie SpcCldl
privilege class and their mouth
pieces. And they never stand for
anything unless there is some
thing in 1t for them.
But the method by which they
hoped to undermine the present
advancement of the city toward
the goal of complete municipaliza-
ton of all public service utilities
In Tacoma remained to be divulg-
ed by Seymour himself.
Tacoma tried the plan of leas-
ing her dock at Fifteenth street
to the private dock companies.
And the situation was that the
waterfront monopoly still retained
the grip on the people. Now the
people have thrown off the bur-
den, have gone into, the dock busi-
ness and Tacoma is coming into
her own.
Already more boats want to
come to the city dock than can be
accommodated and plans are GO
ing ahead as fast as possible to
complete the erection of the new
dock buildings.
Already new boats that never
have visited Tacoma are planning
to come and dock at the wharf.
City's Waterfront.
And now the private dock inter-
ests see their grip slipping. They
see the day ahead when the city
will have the whole waterfront
from Fifteenth street to the Flyer
dock and so they want a man for
mayor who will take the city out
of the dock business and lease the
plant back to the private company
to operate.
Tacoma is spending $4,000, 900
for the big power plant because
she wanted to be free from the
Vaccinations of the power trust.
But Seymour wants to turn this
plant back to the trust to manage
and operate.
With agents of the power trust
In charge how long would 1t take
to wreck the city's property and
business and produce a situation
that would put the city In worse
slavery to the trust than ever be-
fore?
Are the people going Co stand
for this game?
Have they fought the battles of
the past and won the victories
over the special interests to build
great municipal utilities to now