The Washington socialist. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1914-1915, 1914-07-30
HOLDING UP PROPERTY
OWNERS NO LONGER
POPULAR IN EVERETT

TUBULAR In EVERETT
One of several pertinent reasons
why Commissioners Christensen and
Thompson were recalled, why they
should not be reelected and why
voters should exercise great care in
selecting two men to succeed them
are given by the Sentinel. Comment
ing on the injustice done the small
property owner, Mr. Packard says:
Instead of attempting to prevent this
perfectly legitimate species of graft
instead of protecting small property
owners who are being held up and
shaken down by street contractors by
means Of extensive and expensive i'm
provements far in advance of the
city's needs-the two candidates named
encouraged the system. This system
is also approved by bond spectators
and the invisible government-"pa
triots for profit only" 1t can easily
be continued by new commissioners
in sympathy with land spectators
who always oppose such improve
ments THROUGH their holdings, but
who encourage them through tracts
they have sold to home builders and
up to the near limits of their unsold
tracts. 1t enables the land specula-
tors to profit by the industry of others
and with slight expense to them
selves. The system is as old as the
town and why the small property
owners have permitted it to continue
unchallenged is one of the psychology
cal mysteries of Everett.
Another Abuse.
Another abuse from which small
property owners have suffered under
several preceding administrations of
councils as well as commission, and
| from which they seem to have no
adequate remedy at law is that of
regarding streets. South Hoyt be-
tween Hewitt and Pacific is cited as a
horrible example. Almost every prop
erty owner on that section of the ave-
nue. protested against a regrade which
was not needed, which damaged in
stead of benefited the property and
which really did not benefit any one
except contractors who may have
needed the money. Protests were met
with a reply the strict Interpretation
of which is: "Whatcher goin' to do
about it?"
The regrade is not needed at this
time for the reason that the old grade
between Hewitt and Wall is no great
err than that on Hewitt between Hoyt
and Colby; that the property is not
needed for business purposes and may
not be for many years. that the cut
of two to five and a half feet in front
of the fine homes on the east side of
Hoyt between Wall and Pacific great
! ly disfigures and damages those
premises without benefitting any 9th
er property in the district A signifi-
cant fact in connection with this re-
grade is that it stops at point where
continuance would have inconvenience
ed the street railway company, yet if
there are any merits in the arguments
Of the new engineering department
and contractors, the regrade should
have been continued across the top of
the hill three blocks further to Thirty
fourth street. But
Property owners do not always
know what they want, as shown by
records in the Hoyt avenue case. Sew
eral petitions for different classes Of
Improvement on different sections
have been filed within the past four
years. The latest, and one asking for
practically the same regrade as at
present under way, was filed in 1912.
About year later, when the commits
sion began taking action towards the
regrade, protest bearing 7S sigma
of the signers being form
err petitioners-wasf filed. The protest |
was ignored by the commission and |
the regrade inundated through the SUI
perior court"