The Fight for Public Water in Ballard
Before Ballard was absorbed by Seattle, its citizens held a heated public meeting to reject corporate control of their water supply, demanding municipal ownership instead.
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.
A largely attended meeting of citizens of Ballard was held Tuesday evening in Berg's hall to discuss the question whether the city should own its own water system or grant a franchise to a corporation. The meeting was called in consequence of a petition from the Northwestern Artesian Oil, Gas and Test Well and Water-works Construction Company to the city council to either pay $15,000 for a well or wells sufficient to supply the town with water, or grant the company a franchise. About 200 persons were present. Mayor Rinehart spoke at length, condemning the present system and advising the granting of a franchise. Judge Thomas Burke spoke at the request of Captain W. R. Ballard; after praising the progress of the town, he urged the necessity of making the town a healthy one. He stated that the town of Ballard could be best served by the town of Ballard, and should own its own water-works. Matthew Dow, W. H. Vernon and others made telling speeches in favor of the town owning its own system. Finally the audience passed a resolution that the town should own its own water works and that no franchise should be granted. The question of bonding the town was also discussed.
“The town of Ballard could be best served by the town of Ballard, and should own its own water-works.”
This 1892 debate over whether to entrust essential infrastructure to private corporations or keep it under public control mirrors current Seattle conversations regarding public utilities and civic services. Even before Ballard was formally annexed by Seattle in 1907, the tension between corporate franchises and municipal management was a defining feature of local governance.
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