Washington Standard

Olympia's experience with the Northern Pacific Railroad incorporators in the location of its salt-water terminus, nearly 30 years ago, is repeated on a small scale by Aberdeen's deal with the Panel and Folding Box Co. for the location of its factory at that point. The company made a demand for a site and a monied subsidy, as a consideration for locating its factory there. both of which conditions were fully met. and accepted just as the demand of the railroad company was acceded to in every particular, by Olympia, as a condition for the terminal location on Budd's Inlet. Then a little wheel within the big wheel got loose and enlarged its circumference-just as the Lake Superior and Puget Sound Land ring did with the railroad company -and made it go back upon its solemn agreement and contract. The terminus was located at Olympia after a full and thorough understanding of its natural advantages over any and every other point on Puget Sound, and a fixed and satisfactory compensation was accepted for the act; just as the Panel and Folding Box factory was located at Aberdeen after full examination, and the site was donated and the cash subsidy placed in escrow for the company, soon as its conditional work might be completed. The citizens of Olympia were allowed to congratulate themselves upon their good fortune six months before bubble bursted when the land ring compelled the railroad company to violate its solemn pledge. The people of Aberdeen were allowed scarcely as many weeks before the box company played its "panel" game on them, and then "folded its tent and silently stole away." The railroad found a place to sink millions of dollars in unprofitable investments at Tacoma as doubtless the box company will find equally advantageous opportunities for disposing of its thousands at Hoquiam.