The Price of Virtue in a Growing Boomtown

In his 1892 annual message, Mayor George W. Hall addressed the city's transition from a village to a metropolis. A key point of contention was the city's dwindling revenue from licenses and fines. Hall admitted that the projected budget of $150,000 had fallen short by $40,000, attributing the deficit to a deliberate shift in policy. He stated, 'I do not consider that the city government should derive a direct revenue from vice. There is a broad moral difference between reluctantly tolerating a minor offense which cannot altogether be obviated and being a participator in the profits of immorality and crime.' He noted that the 'horde of vicious characters' that had flocked to Seattle during the post-fire construction boom of 1889-1890 were leaving, further reducing the city's intake from fines. Mayor Hall argued that while the loss of this revenue left the city's accounts in disarray, it was a change that no 'reputable citizen will regret.' He urged the City Council to focus on long-term infrastructure, including the purchase of the University grounds for a future city hall, despite the short-term strain on the public coffers.