The Political Battle for Power
A state senator warns that municipal utility expansion could shift tax burdens onto rural farmers.
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Farmers of Washington will be sadly deceived if they give any support whatsoever to the Bone Bill, Initiative Measure No. 52, in the opinion of William Bishop, well-known farmer and stock-raiser of Chimacum Valley, and member of the state senate. 'Seattle already has more tax-exempt property, most of it in municipal utilities, than the total taxable valuation of the 15 smallest counties of the state,' Senator Bishop said in Spokane a few days ago. 'In other words, if Seattle’s exempt properties could be taxed, the revenue from this source alone would be equal to the total tax receipts from fifteen counties. What does Seattle now want to do? Make the farmers and smaller county property owners pay all the taxes? The Bone Bill would go a long way in that direction. It would take all the privately-owned utilities off the tax rolls, and unload that much more of a burden on the farmers. If Seattle, by means of the Bone Bill, should gain control of power, Seattle would also gain control of industrial development. Seattle would be in position to offer extremely low rates or even free power to induce industries to pass up all other sections of the state. Yet the rest of the state would have to foot the bill.'
“Seattle has never shed any tears for the small counties; and when Seattle talks of passing out such favors as the Bone Bill it is time for the rest of the state to beware.”
The 'Bone Bill' debate of the 1920s was a critical struggle in Washington State regarding public versus private power ownership. It prefigures modern tensions between urban growth, tax policy, and the economic survival of rural agricultural communities.
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