The War Department’s Secret List: Why Washington Was Ignored
A Montana Senator reveals that federal supply contracts are being diverted from Seattle to San Francisco due to 'unsatisfactory' local facilities and inflated railroad rates.
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.
REASONS THAT ARE GIVEN For Government's Discrimination Against Seattle.
At the regular meeting of the Chamber of Commerce yesterday, information was received through a letter from U.S. Senator W. A. Clark, of Montana, setting forth the reasons why the War Department prefers San Francisco to Seattle as a supply point.
Senator Clark states that he is friendly to Seattle and looked into the matter for the Chamber of Commerce. The War Department, he writes, is not satisfied with facilities here, nor with the railroad rates. For instance, they claim that a soldier can be sent from New York via Ogden to San Francisco $25 dollars cheaper than he can be sent to Seattle.
These matters will be looked into by the Chamber of Commerce.
This 1903 complaint about federal procurement bias mirrors modern debates over infrastructure equity and economic development grants. Just as Seattle fought for fair railroad rates to compete with San Francisco, today’s cities often argue that federal funding formulas favor established coastal hubs over emerging inland or northern markets.
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