The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-01-24

three 81 uH. How tickled "" W"ud
Z be with ourselves
After the former mayor. Mr. On
aud SIR Ross. our citY'H eiectrirI
superintendent. had secured The
akaxlt power site FOR the people "A
seattie--much To- the diradvaniags
~ the city's competitor before |
flied for mayor and made my carna
paign upon the promise % deFei",
the skagit. would make bfsl
noise 70 deceive everybody mfaelf..
too. ! would run up 20 the skasf
river and see the water run down.
then ! would return 10 Seattle and
make more noise about putting th@'
city's competitor out 81 business no
blood test this time, blood test out
Of date by now. ! would call cor
ference with the city council aud,
representatives Of the city'H competiS
tor and have a blk councilman tell
the citys competitor that !. The
mayor. and he. the councilman.
would give them ;i5.o00.0O0 and no
more for their junk. the actual value
Of which ~. about 100000.
I would have one Of the prominent
city couucllmen walk right ia bold
iy. altogether mot in sectionD and
say 20 the city's competitor; "If
you do not take ti5.000.e00 from the
people of the city Of Seattle for your
lines (which are not worth more
than s. 900 900 NJ the mort we VIII
never speak 10 you again about bus.
ing your Junk" The city's cOmpcti-
Nsska
biuffed until chilblains hurt
would next try to discredit SUI
perintendent Ross. who made our
light plant what IL In and who Is
chiefly responsible for It's success
! would go about II quietly. saying
that he WAS a fine man and should
be left In the plant. but should lie
superseded By some man Of better
business ability. like myself
would start hullabailoo about
the Skaglt project TO rush through
ordinances TO sell bonds. sell mil
lion or two Of them. put the money
IN the bank. ard advise the people
not 10 be in "A rush about the Skagit.
as ! did not want any mistakes
made. and that we were about tos
sign q contract TO buy power from
the city'R competitor cheaper than
we can make II anyway. This. Of
course would be after | had made
trip 90 Washington. had a vaca-
tion and spent thousands Of the peo-
pies money,
would also do my best u help
dlscredlt Oliver T. Erickson and w.
y. Lane and all the other known
supporters and friends OF public
Ownership. would now veto the
ordinances for the Ballard sub-sis-
tipn. which Is being built TO diH-
tribute light and power In ballard.
and also lay off many Of the con-
struction workers on the city's light
and power plant
would urge the people TO support
me in putting the city's competitor
600 600 for their old. WORKOUT. dflap-
dated street car line. the cars ~
which are so rotten that they are
falling 10 pieces. will not make saw
dust. 80 rotten.
would tell the people that the
arrangement was that we would pay
for the line out OF the net earnings
without expense TO the people. Their
| would induce the council TO pass
an ordinance paying for the line out
OF the gross receipts. and have
provision for raising the street car
fares high enough TO do so.
would then have the corporation go
into court and tell the court that the
ordinance did not mean what IL said
until after the people got the lemon,
thus fooling me and the people who
would have to pay the bills. after
am governor maybe. By this time.
I am going so fast that | am afraid
Of myself. like the fellow who
hitched himself up with the calf. and
II some one does not stop US we
VIII kin our fool selves In politics-
getting dead at feet already.
would see TO II that the citv's
competitor had contract to sell
power TO the city for more than they
are selling IL 10 some others And
would know that after we got the
street cars the citys competitor
would not keep its part OF the con-
tract with the people 20 sell power
dt never had kept any OF its con
tracts that we know on. but would
shut off their power from us after
we bought their car lines. so that
we would have 10 use our own. thus
putting our plant out Of business.
for our plant will not furnish power
enough for the street car line and
supply the city's customers. too. 50
competitor will get city's customers.
Then | would expect to retire. safe
and secure in the thought that the
city's competitor always remembers
it's friends. hut, Of course, would
expect brokerage OF somewhere be-
tween Is and 25. per cent on the
gross deal. | would know that the
city's competitor could afford to give
the city its car line II il could pue
the city's lighting plant out of busi-t
ness as a competitor OF light and
power.
Next week shall write on the an.
plication for the writs OF habeas cor.
pus in our supreme court and the
rights of free sneech in Seattle