The Citizens' Sweep of 1887
Seattle's municipal elections conclude with a resounding victory for the 'Citizens' ticket, as labor candidates suffer a crushing defeat in the rain-swept streets.
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.
The municipal election was held on May 3, 1887. The day was rainy, wet, and cold, a worse production than any of the winter, and calculated to make one think that the city government could not, in any case, be worse than the weather. However, there was a quite a large vote cast, and the workers on both sides were out early and remained late. Every vehicle in town seemed to be engaged to carry people to and from the polls. Early in the day, it became apparent that the Union Labor people lost touch with it, and as the day wore on, the Citizens' people grew strong and confident. The count was completed at 10 o'clock last evening, and the result has astonished the most sanguine. The whole of the Citizens' ticket was elected by remarkable majorities. About 1,000 votes were cast. Mayor George A. Towne (Citizens' ticket) received 97 votes in the first ward to Mass (Labor) 56. City Treasurer, M. Taylor (Citizens'), 75; M. Metcalf (Labor), 31. City Attorney, Thomas Carroll (Citizens'), 84; Fremont Campbell, 39.
“The day was rainy, wet, and cold, a worse production than any of the winter, and calculated to make one think that the city government could not, in any case, be worse than the weather.”
The 1887 election reflects the perennial tension between business-aligned 'Citizens' tickets and labor candidates in Seattle, a struggle for the city's political identity that persists over 130 years later. Just as in 1887, modern Seattle local politics often feature a tug-of-war between establishment interests and grassroots organizing efforts.
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