The Price of a 'Boom'
In 1889, the Post-Intelligencer rebuked city leaders for prioritizing the 'boom' over public sanitation, warning that a failure to build a proper sewer system would inevitably bring pestilence to a rapidly growing Seattle.
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.
It is the duty of the government of a city, among other things, to protect the life and well-being of its citizens by looking after those conditions which may affect the public health. To neglect sanitary conditions upon which the life and comfort of the people depend is as serious a dereliction as to permit crime to riot unchecked. If the city government of Seattle cannot protect the people of the city against those poisons which corrupt the air we breathe and threaten to strike down not one but many, then it is a failure. But we believe that it can purify the city and that it will do it. The foul city front can be cleaned up, the present sewers can be extended to deep water, the streets and alleys can be cleaned, property holders can be compelled to clear away filthy accumulations, and plans can be made for a thorough system of sewerage. These suggestions are earnestly commended to the council. Its powers are ample and the citizen will not begrudge the cost.
Among our citizens a few were mightily alarmed yesterday upon reading the plain talk of the POST-INTELLIGENCER concerning the foul and dangerous sanitary state of the city. 'Your remarks,' said one, 'will be reprinted elsewhere and do us great damage. It will prevent people from coming here.' This may be true, but nevertheless we shall not be deterred from putting the alarming facts as they are. It is far more important that those now here should be protected in life and health than that others should be induced to come. The time is long passed when the first consideration with the public and with a newspaper should be to 'boom' the town and induce people to come here. The district days are past and Seattle is no longer a village but a city permanently established, and it is infinitely more important to take care of the people now here than to lure others. They will come fast enough if we will make and keep the city fit to live in.
“It is far more important that those now here should be protected in life and health than that others should be induced to come.”
This 1889 editorial highlights an early tension in Seattle's history: whether to prioritize rapid growth or sustainable infrastructure. Today, this 'boom' mentality manifests in the ongoing, urgent struggles to manage density, public health, and basic urban services as the city continues to expand.
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