The War for Power in the Pacific Northwest
A Boston-backed syndicate attempts to monopolize water rights and electricity, sparking a high-stakes legal battle with independent producer Charles H. Baker.
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.
An electric power and light monopoly threatens to obtain control of Tacoma, Seattle, and all adjoining cities. A scheme is on foot, engineered by Stone & Webster of Boston, to obtain the mastery of available water power in this part of the state to prevent competition. Agents of Stone & Webster are working to drive Charles H. Baker, an independent producer, out of the field. Baker, who established a plant at Snoqualmie Falls, has been under attack for five years. To compete, Baker purchased rights near Buckley to develop power by diverting the White River, intending to create a series of reservoirs. However, the 'Tacoma Industrial Company,' a front for the Boston combine, filed suit to block him, claiming he cannot divert the water. The case is headed to the Supreme Court. The people of Tacoma, fearing higher costs and a total monopoly, watch the outcome with alarm, as this city is destined to be a manufacturing center.
“The policy which the people of Tacoma favor is that of keeping up competition in the production of electric power and light.”
This 1904 struggle over the commodification of public water rights for private electrical generation mirrors contemporary Pacific Northwest debates about utility regulation, corporate consolidation, and the public's right to control essential energy infrastructure.
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