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1. Tacoma's Richest Taxpayer Warns the Boodlers Are Eating the City

   W. H. Fife, the city's largest taxpayer, says boodle government is eating his property alive—and warns Tacoma will fall behind Seattle if the machine is not driven out.

   Mar 9, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

2. The Machine Behind the Ballot

   Tacoma politics in the 1890s faced a crisis of influence, with allegations of a $30,000-a-year 'boodle' ring controlling city contracts and elections.

   Mar 12, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerCity Hall, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

3. Tacoma's Anti-Boodler Council Seizes Power, Demands Accounting of City Funds

   A new coalition of Republicans and Populists takes control of Tacoma's city council, stripping power from the old guard and launching an investigation into the city's $720,000 bank deposit. Mayor Orr's appointments are blocked as the finance committee prepares to audit every bank.

   May 23, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall · Scandal

4. The Boodle Battle: Political Corruption and Vagrancy in Tacoma

   As local politicians fight for control of city offices, Tacoma's Populists take aim at 'boodlers' and the importation of vagrants to influence local elections.

   Mar 13, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

5. The Political Brawl for Tacoma’s Soul

   After 214 ballots, a fractured city council finally elects a president, exposing a bitter web of accusations, bribery allegations, and 'anti-boodler' fervor.

   May 20, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall · Scandal

6. The Man Who Exposed the Bribe: Metcalfe’s Stand Against Olympia’s ‘Boodle’ Gang

   In a rare display of moral courage in Washington's early political history, Representative Metcalfe turned a bribe into evidence, sparking a war with corruptionists that the paper defends as necessary for good government.

   Jan 30, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

7. Tacoma’s Water Works Scandal

   A grand jury struggles to uncover the truth behind allegations of bribery and corruption in Tacoma's municipal water system purchase.

   Feb 14, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money · City Hall

8. Accusations of Corruption in State Capitol Planning

   The Walla Walla Statesman warns that a proposed constitutional amendment is a front for a 'boodler' syndicate in Olympia.

   Oct 27, 1892The Yakima HeraldState Capitol, Olympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

9. Labor Takes a Scalpel to Tacoma's Budget — and Calls Out the Boodlers

   As Tacoma's finance committee hunts for cuts, the Trades Council arrives with its own salary schedule, demands depositories for the city's money, and accuses the Chamber of Commerce of encouraging 'unlawful appropriation.'

   Dec 27, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyWork & Pay · City Hall

10. The City Council as a Traveling Circus

    North Yakima’s municipal government descends into physical brawls and political instability.

    Nov 26, 1891The Yakima HeraldCity Hall, Yakima, Yakima CountyCity Hall · Scandal

11. Seattle's 1894 Election: Corruption, Fraud, and the Fight for City Hall

    As voters head to the polls, the Post-Intelligencer unleashes a blistering attack on the Democratic administration, alleging graft, forgery, and a machine determined to hold power at any cost.

    Mar 6, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle City Hall, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

12. Brutal Robbery at the Chicago Restaurant

    A local restaurant owner was found unconscious and severely beaten after a targeted assault in his own home.

    Mar 16, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPacific Avenue, Tacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

13. The City Council's Chaotic Brawl

    Yakima’s local government descends into insults, filibustering, and open hostility during a session regarding city spending and official conduct.

    Feb 19, 1891The Yakima HeraldCity Hall, Yakima, Yakima CountyCity Hall · Scandal

14. The Scandal of the Relief Committee

    When Spokane city officials were caught raiding the relief pantry, the resulting arrests shocked the community and exposed a deep-seated culture of graft.

    Sep 18, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSpokane, Spokane CountyCity Hall

15. The Senator Who Stood on the Train

    In the dead of night, a torch-lit mob marched through Spokane to greet U.S. Senator Warren G. Squire. But as he stepped onto the platform to deliver his victory speech, the rails betrayed him: the train pulled away before he could finish, leaving only his voice echoing into the dark.

    Jan 26, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSpokane, Spokane CountyCity Hall · Strange But True

16. The Battle of the Wishkah River Bridge

    A city’s municipal gridlock and the bizarre arrest of a councilman over anti-bond propaganda.

    May 24, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerAberdeen, Grays Harbor CountyCity Hall

17. A City Hall Boodler Falls: Whatcom's Ex-Deputy Clerk Convicted of Forgery

    Eighteen grand jury indictments, and E. Y. Grassett is convicted on one — with a perjury charge still to come and other indicted ex-officials waiting for the February term.

    Dec 27, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerBellingham, Whatcom CountyCity Hall · Scandal

18. A Chaotic City Council Showdown

    Personal feuds and volatile accusations stall public business in North Yakima.

    Mar 19, 1891The Yakima HeraldYakima, Yakima CountyCity Hall · Scandal

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