A Senator Looks South and Sees Seattle's Fortune

Stephen Benton Elkins, United States senator from West Virginia and former secretary of war under President Harrison, is a guest of the city, having arrived from the South on a tour of the coast. He is at the Elk Horn Hotel, at the foot of Columbia Street. The senator will remain in the city until this morning, when, accompanied by his family, he will leave for Victoria, returning Monday.

Senator Elkins and his family left Washington City February 28 and have been traveling ever since, going as far south as the City of Mexico. The senator's private car was attached to the train, and Mr. Elkins rode with railroad men as far as Tacoma. There he was switched off, and Mr. Nassau and Mr. Charlton rode in the senator's car to Seattle. Immediately upon the arrival of the train here the senator and his family were met by General John H. Bryant and were shown over the city, Lake Washington being reached via the Madison Street line and Queen Anne Hill via the Front Street cable. Last evening they were the guests of Manager John W. Hazina at the Seattle Theater, and witnessed the drama “Esmeralda” by the Frawley Stock Company.

When seen last evening Senator Elkins said that, though this was his first visit to the North Pacific coast, he has always had a warm feeling for the West. “You know I'm a Western man myself,” said he, “and I have always felt that the Western people are the best on earth; they are quicker to understand men.” He at one time lived in New Mexico.

Concerning the West he said: “Of course, I have always had an idea of what this country out here was like, but I see that I have never thoroughly understood its character before. One has to see to understand. You have a wonderful state here, and there is no reason why your people could not supply the country south, including Mexico. That country buys all its implements in the East, everything being hauled 2,500 miles. Here you are only eight days by rail and six days by water from Mexico, and the territory rightly belongs to you. You have iron and coal mines, and there is no reason on earth why you should not ship rails, shovels, picks, plows, etc., to old Mexico. If the stuff is sent by water it would pay to construct a short line of railroad from Mazatlan, or some other town down there, to the interior. I simply look at the matter as a business man, and when I made a speech a few days south of here and told them what I thought about it, it seemed to strike them right.”

The senator would not say much on the silver question, but he did say: “The Mississippi River seems to be the dividing line so far as the sentiment on the silver question is concerned. East of that they are for gold, and west for silver. There is no need of any ill feeling over the matter. No one man or any class can have all they want when another says, ‘You can't have it.’ We must compromise on the proposition. We compromise in the convention, and why not compromise on the silver question? That is the only way out of the difficulty.”

Mr. Elkins was much interested in the coal and iron industry of the state. He wanted to know particularly if the mines tributary to Seattle thought Lake Washington was a favorably located body of water, and spoke encouragingly of the coal connection that the lake has with the Sound. He pronounced Puget Sound to be the most beautiful and locked system of harbors in the world, and was altogether enthusiastic with the whole.