The Political Fight for Control of the First Regiment
A power struggle in the Washington National Guard sees Seattle and Tacoma officers clashing over the colonelcy of the First Regiment.
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.
At the meeting of the line officers of the First regiment, held at the Armory on Thursday evening, Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Green was elected colonel and Captain W. S. Shank was elected lieutenant-colonel of the First regiment. Colonel S. W. Scott presided. Early in the meeting, the chair decided to permit only line officers to vote. Captain E. S. Ingraham nominated Lieutenant-Colonel Green, while First Lieutenant George B. Allen of Aberdeen nominated Colonel J. B. Hawley of Tacoma. Captain L. S. Booth suggested an informal ballot to determine the consensus. In this preliminary vote, Green received twelve votes and Hawley ten. Hawley's name was promptly withdrawn, and Green then secured the unanimous vote of the convention. Colonel Green was immediately surrounded by his friends and congratulated. Going out among the boys, and especially the members of his old Company B, he was cheered repeatedly. The Tacoma officers fought strategically for Colonel Hawley, and had all who promised their support been on hand, he might have been elected. Despite the rivalry, the best of feeling prevailed after the contest. Resolutions of respect to the memory of the late Colonel J. C. Haines were passed, and a movement was started to create a monument fund, with officers suggesting that future Fourth of July prize drill money serve as the nucleus for the effort.
“The Tacoma men are entitled to credit for the splendid fight they made. No one blames Tacoma for trying to capture the honor, and now that the contest is over the best of feeling prevails among the men.”
Internal military elections and local civic competitions over funding—like the 1892 debate over memorializing Colonel Haines—echo the contemporary battles for budget prioritization in the Seattle City Council. The tension between the regional cities of Seattle and Tacoma remains a structural feature of Puget Sound politics.
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