The War of Words Between Kennewick and Prosser
A bitter editorial feud erupts between rival newspapers over a dispute involving county road and bridge funds.
A contest between any two individuals or communities is relished by all as long as it is honest. But as soon as one party resorts to untruth, there enters an element of degradation. The Prosser Independent-Record recently published a two-column outburst accusing Kennewick of lying regarding a delegation of Prosser business men who allegedly opposed a request by Mayor Richardson for a share of the general road and bridge fund. While our correspondent made an error in claiming the protest was formal and voiced before the commissioners, the underlying fact of opposition remains. Mayor Richardson had personally encountered resistance in Prosser, and his attempts to get Mayor Baker to join in a joint request were rebuffed. The Independent-Record’s vitriol illustrates the petty jealousy and small-mindedness inherent in the Prosser leadership, ignoring the actual board decision that granted Kennewick its funds in favor of printing baseless abuse.
“The editorial was not only uncalled for and unfair but it was small and convicts the writer of the very petty jealousy which he denounces.”
Inter-city rivalry remains a fixture of life in the Tri-Cities, though the battles have shifted from bridge fund disputes in newspaper columns to modern debates over regional growth and infrastructure allocation. The 'us-versus-them' dynamic described here highlights the long-standing civic tension between Kennewick and Prosser that persists over a century later.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.