The Great Population Bluff of 1887
A scathing editorial exposes how local politicians inflated King County’s census data, revealing the long history of 'boosterism' in Seattle's growth.
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 voters of King County believe in their own importance, but the recent Territorial census is a fraud. It claims a population of 100,000 for King County, a figure that is absurdly inflated to bolster the pride of local boosters. The wretched misrepresentation of King County is matched by the grotesque efforts of the county auditor, whose official figures are as ridiculous as the other aspects of civic life. If the people of Seattle think that their rapidly growing county is represented in Territorial politics by a census that shows a decrease in some districts, they will have the consolation of blushing that their sorrow is due to their artlessness in electing an incompetent man like Mr. Gutter to such an important position. The press might as well speak of the tobacco which is raised in Seattle, as to rely on these figures.
“The voters of King County believe in their own importance, but the recent Territorial census is a fraud.”
This 1887 editorial captures the birth of Seattle's 'booster' culture—a tendency to inflate growth statistics to attract investment. Much like today's debates over census undercounts or the manipulation of housing supply data to drive development, the article highlights a century-old skepticism toward official narratives of 'inevitable' growth.
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