The Seattle Republican. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1???-1915, 1911-03-03
FRIDAY March 3, 1911


to those voters who rent homes of their own and
are dependent upon wages for the money to take
of their families.
Seattle now has a bonded interest-bearing debt of
over $36OO0000 and its taxpayers have to pay ST.
100000 interest every year This is heavy burden to
add to the necessary expense of running great city and
Seattes expenses are low So not only is Seates
city greater than the debt of other city that has
not almost twice Seates population but its taxrate
higher than that of any other city the Pacific Coast
So far the splendid location of this city, its great
natural resources and energy of it's people have made
it able to carry its vast debt and its high rate OF taxa
ton without apparent injury But one bond issue after
another has been voted until the time to halt has plainly
arrived Anv further increase in the ctys debt, par
cuarly for unnecessary purpose like cltyownershp
of Rainier Valley line that will be paralleed by
the Seattle Electric Company, bound to prevent new
enterprises locating here Such increase would mean
still higher taxes and manufacturers and others who
would invest capital and spend money here and give
employment Seattles workmen would be driven else
where Portland with debt only onethlrd as great as
Seattes and with much lower taXrate and much lower
special is eagerly watching Seattle and max
ing use of every addition to this cys debt and every
increase in it's Of taxation arguments to induce
people to locate in Portland instead of in Seattle
Those who want Seattle to have low taxes and pros
pertv and those who want wages to be fair and employ
ment plentiful in this city will vote against street rail
way bonds
But whatever may be the inclination Of the average
Seattle voter to advocate the municipal ownership OF
street railways the purchasing of the Renton Southern
to the city limits would be neither sensible step
in the direction of practical municipal ownership Of street
railways further than If the city should
purchase that Jerk water SYSTEM it would that those
who really believe in the theory of such municipal nno-
walton would have their ideas rudey shattered without
seeing the system have the slightest sembance of fair
test.
There is doubt but that the residents OF Rainier
Valley have been shamefuy mstreated by the pnheaded
policy of the president of the Renton Southern road but
It would mean nothing toward remedyng their grievances
and wish get good street service to and from their
homes for the city to purchase that road, which could
only be run at great financial loss which loss the tax
payers all over the city would have to bear.
Because the citizens of Rainier Valley find themselves
at serious disadvantage account OF the arbitrary
methods Of the officers Of the Renton Southern 1t IS no
argument that the residents of the whole city should be
burdened with tax that will in the end neither relieve
nor remedy the troubles 1t WILL it must be admitted
punish some one against whom the residents of that par
tcuar section of the city have grievance but IS That
business proposition for those taxpayers who do not
live there?
Perhaps there are hundreds and thousands of resi-
dents of Seattle that think they have genuine grievance
against the Seattle Electric Company, but every fair
minded resident Of the city must admit that that company
is giving every section of the city, where it has llnes
snendd street car service and reasonable rate
The working man living at Green Lake, at Mt Baker
Park or any of the other outlying suburbs is not incon
venienced in getting and from his work in the heart OF
the city which proof sufficient that the Seattle Electric
Company giving the best of service Now if this COM
pany giving good service to every section OF the city
is it not perfectly natural to think, II given an oppor
tunity it would give the Rainier Valley section equally
as good serviceY
Instead of the city buying that short line at heavy
exnense and running the same heavy loss month
with another why not try to make it possible for the
Seattle Electric Company to extend it's service to that
section and give the residents of that valley the same
kind of service that South Park Green Lake and the other