The Unspoken Cost of Building a Frontier City

The voice of the critics has been again raised in 'scarcely' about the government; they are 'men without a country.' The new fiscal year has given some a new interest in life, and between now and the fourth of July there will be no peace for the unfortunate government candidates who were not at the polls. I was talking to a man who had applied for a post under the Civil Service Commission. The applicant was nervous and the commission agent was bored. 'I am afraid that I will not be appointed. I am only 32, and I have been a teacher in a village town of 1000 inhabitants. I have qualifications,' the man pleaded. 'The pity of the world—do you want to be a clerk?' the Commissioner asked. 'You should remember that out of 4000 applicants there are only a few spots. There are people who have been waiting for promotions for a long time. You would have to start at $40, and the rent in the city is high.' The man took the good advice and returned to his home. This reminds me of the remark of the Chief General, made a few mornings ago, that there is a wonderful increase in the number of people in Seattle when they are comparatively poor and when they are uncertain of the future. There is a charm about life here that takes a strong hold on men from the interior, and they feel ready to do almost anything if they can stay. I know one man who came here from Illinois. He started in a mill at five dollars per day. He managed to have considerable money and was smoking good cigars. The next time I called for him he was at the Harris House. From there he went to a cheap boarding house on Tenth street, and finally he has gone home on a 'pass,' leaving a month's board unpaid. He worked hard, but his expectations fell with his condition. He ended as an applicant for a clerkship, and was willing to take a position as a clerk at the Treasury. But he got nothing.