The Fight for Washington’s Capital City

Among the numerous claims that Olympia is advancing to secure the permanent location of the state capital, and one which most certainly must commend itself to everyone engaged in admiralty practice, as well as those who have the commercial welfare of the great Sound cities at heart, is the following: Section 21 of the enabling act, as passed by Congress, contains a provision that the United States district and admiralty courts must convene at the state capital. The man who takes a moment to consider what this provision means must well nigh think twice. It means that the case of every ship that is libeled on the Sound must go to the state capital for trial, and should the capital be taken from the Sound it would be of the greatest inconvenience to the litigants and their witnesses, as well as enormously expensive, to be compelled to go east of the mountains thither to Ellensburg or Yakima. Then how about the juries who would be called upon to decide these cases? They might be composed of men who do not know the difference between the keelson and the main truck and who have passed their days sailing prairie schooners. Let those who are interested in the Sound as a maritime center see to it that the commerce of the cities is not hampered by such a foolish and needless change of position in the capital. The Sound, which is so much interested in shipping and which looks upon it as such an important factor in its development, should not vote to put this great tax upon its shipping.