Tacoma’s Growing Pains: A New City Government Takes Root
Freshly inaugurated in 1887, Mayor Tawse calls for unity as the growing city navigates a contentious municipal transition and plans a massive Fourth of July celebration.
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.
Mayor Tawse rested his two hands on his desk before the new City Council yesterday afternoon and in a quiet, even tone made a brief talk to the members, expressing a wish that their official relations be harmonious and a belief that they should work together for the upbuilding of Tacoma. He said he understood that was the platform upon which the late election had been conducted, and he desired to live officially upon that platform. The Council chambers had been cleaned up and the desks of the members changed about so that every two desks were brought together, allowing the two representatives from each ward to meet, instead of each being separated from all others as they were before. When the Mayor had finished his little address, the Council went into an election of the appointed officers of the city. W.J. Monde was elected City Clerk unanimously. The Council then debated the nomination of the Chief of Police, with several candidates—McKay, Kavanaugh, King, and Faller—competing for the post. After eight ballots resulted in a stalemate, the Council moved on to elect a Health Officer, choosing John Armstrong, and confirmed H.M. Lillis as Fire Warden. Following the administrative business, a committee from the Chamber of Commerce, including W.J. Thompson and Allen C. Mason, requested to be heard regarding the upcoming Fourth of July celebration, which would mark the completion of the Cascade Division of the Northern Pacific Railroad. It was decided that the city would be responsible for bills incurred in the celebration to the sum of $1,000, framing the event as a 'marriage ceremony' of the two sections of the Territory and a declaration of independence from the commercial supremacy of Oregon.
“Some body had said it was the marriage ceremony of the two sections of the Territory and a declaration of independence of the commercial supremacy of our sister State, of Oregon.”
The 1887 struggle to define Tacoma’s civic identity—pitting local pride against external commercial powers like Oregon—mirrors the ongoing tension in modern Puget Sound cities as they balance rapid development with local autonomy. The focus on infrastructure (the Cascade Division) and the 'marriage' of regional connectivity remains a constant theme in Washington’s growth.
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