The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1916-02-02

Fx.mayor Cotterill Saturday is-
sued a statement regarding n polit
ical circular being circulated
among the voters. attacking the
taxation record of the present city
council Ills abatement reads:
"KNOw yoUR cry"
4 Current Political Circular Exposed
So DsIsehood
ny Former Mayor George ". dottertii
As the city campaign warns up
the political p.srimist makes bis an
nuai appearance with a high tar, big
debt knock on Seattle. regardless OF
facts and official figures
A neat circular entitled ropf
Duty and the DUTY Of Every Citizen
Of SEATTLE" Is being extensively dis
tributed. IL has also been reprinted.
with apparent approval IN ne
Times. The circular In anonymous.
but f. evidently under the same aus
pieces as an otherwise comm"ndAbl"
effort 20 induce registration
opening with few sentences
urging voters TO register for the
coming elections. the circular re-
ssnis It's real anifnuH by tho follow
Ing statement.
The business affairs OF the city or
Seattle have not been well taken
care OF In recent years No citizen
can honestly say that the city mas
been we'll governed. well financed.
and that the taxpayers have had a
fair return for tho money they have
paid 20 the support Of the city"
Following this sweeping denun-
citation 81 series OF detail state
n~nfs which, N true. would tend 10
support tho charge Of nisgovsrn-
msni But the facts are that thss.
statements are 30 false. the figures
given so distorted. as TO make one
wonder whether they have been In
spired by rank ignorance or sheer
msndaeity. In either event those re-
spnnsibis are Insulting Seattle eiti-
ysnship and injprinx the. oity.s repu-
tation and credit by their false pre-
lenses Taxes are too high and pub
Tic debts are too large. but Ne can
neither reduce taxes nor reduce
debts by lying about them for cam
palsn purposes
Lot me quote few sample false
hoods from this political registration
circular. and answer them from the
public records
reiiu~si Itss
The bonded debt OF this city has
been forced np from bslJ.ooo In
1910 TO N7.sss.soo a, the close OF
-s,sc~ 1910 sis.oso.eeo hes h~ss
borrowed ssd sp~ss. 81 The average
rsse Of lh p~s ~ess. The ~Sty IL osw
ps,tss osss.eos each yssv - tssevess
MORE shss ~ss b~tsG pssd - fsto."
Since tho spring OF 1911. when the
form OF the city council wss changed.
the majority OF its members have
been constantly under the same con
troll. The bulk Of this great ssw
sess has been piled up. and all tho
borrowed money spent under the
same direction"
The isst quoted paragraph reveals
the n0ttftEAl ~ the gnftrE
publication. II WAS In the spring
Of 1911 that the old ward council"
Of ~ members vas replaced by the
council Of nine. elected by the entire
city In February. 1871. Mr.. OH
was recalled. after q year - mayor.
following 10 years in tn. ward coun-
Gil. and Mr., DiiiinG became his sue
c~asor A month later oliver r. Err
ickron and Austin v, Criffifhs. with
seven associates. entered tho city
council under the new regime. Mr.
Erickson has remained turnout the
five years which have followed. Mr..
Ggiffitbn serving three years In tho
council and one year as chief of
police
with the plain purpose Of attack
inR AR. Erickson principally. and Mr.
Grifflths Incidentally. tho promoters
Of this publicity seek 10 draw GER
tain debt contrasts. before and
after" the 1871 change of council. 20
which th.y call the control. OF
Erickson snd associates.
Now. what are the facts from the
efo.ooo moo Debt vsssr Gtii
on December 81. 1919 1.-TWO months
before Erickson and Grlffifhs and
the new council 81 nine were first
elected. the general bonded debt Of
stated In this circular. WvT. N
PACT. ot0.s2l. CO.
At the close OF 1915 foomptroiiers
statement OF May l. 1915. with no In
crease Of consequence TO December
81. 1879. the debt then oufxta nding
was recorded a. fir.5stsoo. instead
81 si1.ssb, 200. as stated In the polit-
lcal circular.
Thus the actual net Increase in
city bonded debt since 1910 has been
about ts.soo. 900. instead Of $4,000. =
ooo a. falsely stated for political
purposes---jnst about 100 per cent Of
campaign lie"
A. a matter Of record. S-.sss. 600 OF
new bonds were issued during the
eight years from October is. 1909. to
December !. 1919. In addition to
sa,sTs.ooo OF old bonded deb, Of
isse-ss. and 1891 400 Of debt annexed
with Ballard. Georgetown and Co
iumbla. making the total bonded debt
OF Seattle at the end OF 1910 Of ti0.-
s.s.so0. Up TO that date not n dollar
OF sinking fund provision or serial
redemption OF any OF this debt. old
or new had been accomplished. IL
had been period of debt making
without any deht-psying up To the
ciore Of 1910. under the old ward
council regime.
Psyisg u ola p~sts
During the past five years general
bonds representing new Indebtedness
have been issued 20 the amount OF
ls.as1 Zoo. but fup to Nav ieia1 "a.
demption payments on old and new
bonded debt had been made to the
extent Of st5i. zoe. thus leaving a net
debt Increase Of $3.50. 500 since 1910.
and the outstanding bonded debt
total on May l. 1918. at eiTssS. 900.
where The Moaey Weut
The political circular walls In pes
simism;
what has the city to show for the
vas, increase of debt. etc. mean
Ing the $4,000, 600 falsely stated.
Well. for half of II there 4. moth