The Peril of the Company Town
An 1887 editorial warns that Tacoma’s prosperity is built on a dangerous, fragile foundation: the sole favor of a single corporation.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
It is useless to ignore facts longer. A critical stage has been reached in the history of Tacoma. In solemn council, its representatives have discussed the situation, and the result is full of significance. The Chamber of Commerce practically acknowledges the utter dependence of the town upon the favor of a corporation. It has based its fondest hopes of a glittering future upon this favor assured, and now that there is a mere smile of its withdrawal, the precariousness of the position of the citizens of the place becomes painfully evident. For the first time, perhaps, they realize on how unstable a foundation they have built. We believe the people of Tacoma are now beginning to form a just and candid estimate of the true elements of growth inherent to the place, and to see that, if the single prop upon which everything rests is removed, the whole structure will speedily fall. There is a lesson here which it may be well to take to heart. It illustrates the folly of staking one’s welfare in a locality the success of which depends entirely upon the good will of a single corporation. It gives proof of the risk and hazard that must always attend investment in a city whose prosperity is wrapped up in one concern. It shows that a municipality cannot have assured affluence and position if everything centers in one interest, for, with the withdrawal of that interest, nothing remains.
“It illustrates the folly of staking one’s welfare in a locality the success of which depends entirely upon the good will of a single corporation.”
This 1887 critique of Tacoma’s corporate dependency echoes modern debates about 'Amazon towns' and the risks of tech-sector monocultures. The fragility of a city tethered to a single corporate giant remains a recurring anxiety in the Pacific Northwest’s economic history.
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