Why Seattle Should Own Its Own Power
An 1889 editorial argues that municipal control of gas, electricity, and water is the only path to fair pricing and civic progress.
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.
Year by year it becomes more plainly evident that the best and cheapest way for a city to supply its own needs is through its own public works, in preference to patronizing private individuals and corporations. Nearly all large cities now control a system of public works, for the reason that it has been pretty well demonstrated that it is a source of substantial saving to the community. In small cities and towns, the public purse may not be long enough to warrant the large outlay which would be necessary for establishing gas or water works, but larger municipalities can bear the outlay, with the result that the public needs in the matters of water and light are better and more cheaply supplied than would be possible under any contract system with private concerns. Public ownership of water works usually means low monthly charges and rapid extension of mains to keep pace with the city's growth. Experience shows that public ownership generally results in the people's needs being supplied more satisfactorily, and it applies with equal force to water and gas companies alike. In cities where private corporations furnish light, people are paying from 30 cents to 40 cents per lamp for arc lighting, while the cost in cities with their own works does not exceed 25 cents.
“The best and cheapest way for a city to supply its own needs is through its own public works, in preference to patronizing private individuals and corporations.”
This 1889 editorial anticipates the formation of Seattle City Light just a few years later. The argument—that private monopolies inflate costs for basic infrastructure while municipal control ensures equitable growth—remains at the heart of debates over Seattle's public utility models today.
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