Farmers Seek Seattle Tide-Water Elevator
Eastern Washington farmers arrive in Seattle to bypass grain speculators by building their own tide-water facility.
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.
Senator R. C. McCroskey of Whitman County and H. F. Hesse of Spokane met with the Seattle Chamber of Commerce yesterday to discuss the location of a farmer-owned grain elevator. Representing the Farmers' Alliance of Eastern Washington and Western Idaho, the group aims to establish a tide-water elevator to avoid the 'exorbitant charges of the grain speculators.' A company has been organized with $100,000 in capital stock, aiming for broad ownership among farmers to ensure the project remains cooperative. Seattle is being touted for its superior shipping facilities and banking options, though the visitors are also considering Portland, Tacoma, and Everett.
“The farmers of Eastern Washington felt that the elevator and warehouse charges were too high, and that they had determined to own and run a tide-water elevator.”
This reflects the historic tension between the agrarian interests of the interior and the maritime/industrial hubs of the coast. The struggle to bypass middlemen and control shipping logistics is an early example of the 'boosterism' and industrial competition that built Seattle's infrastructure.
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