The Council’s Hammer: Snoqualmie Falls Power Company Faces Ouster
Seattle city councilors move to annul the electrical franchise of the Snoqualmie Falls Power Company, citing failure to appear before an investigation committee regarding the Tracy Rapids injunction suit.
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.
COMMITTEE MOVES AGAINST SNOQUALMIE COMPANY TODAY
Will Report to the Council in Favor of Annuling Baker's Electrical Franchise in This City.
Secret Session of Councilmen Held Which Results in an Order Being Issued to Corporation Counsel Humphrey to Draw Up Papers to Oust the Snoqualmie Concern.
The investigation committee of the city council has notified Corporation Counsel Humphrey to draw up papers declaring the franchise of the Snoqualmie Falls Power Company forfeited. This paper will be presented at the city council meeting next Monday night.
The action today by the investigation committee is the outcome of the meeting last night. Yesterday the Snoqualmie Falls Power Company was notified to appear before the committee and defend themselves from the charge of being connected with the Tracy Rapids injunction suit.
They failed to appear and the committee inferred that they were guilty, and today ordered that Corporation Counsel take the steps as stated above.
The investigation committee accomplished nothing last night. During the day several subpoenas were issued but they failed to produce an appearance. Thursday it was found that the committee could have a warrant sworn out, and that the persons might be arrested. Last night a change of view was taken. According to the statutes there is no provision for force or method for the exercise of the power of compelling witnesses to appear and testify before such body. The charter is believed not to be sufficiently coercive.
Perforce the committee simply met last night and appeared Corporation Counsel Humphrey stated this morning that it had not been his intention to arrest any of 'those in attendance,' whereof there had been none, and they were given the opportunity of representing themselves if they did not want to attend in their own interests. 'I was not going to force them.'
The move comes amidst growing tension over who controls Seattle's burgeoning electrical infrastructure, with local officials questioning the reliability and legal standing of the Snoqualmie Falls Power Company.
This 1900s-era battle over municipal power rights echoes modern debates about public utilities versus private monopolies. Just as Seattle citizens today grapple with the costs and reliability of electricity provided by large corporations like Puget Sound Energy, early Seattleites were fighting to ensure their city's electrical franchise wasn't held hostage by a company that refused to answer to local oversight.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.