The Boss of Port Townsend
A taxpayer-led revolt targets a city treasurer backed by gamblers, prostitutes, and the local political machine.
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 loose and almost criminal management under which Port Townsend is governed by the present municipal officers is fast coming to a termination. The city is entirely under the control of Democrats, who acquired the offices on a non-partisan platform. Since the election, the city has been officered by Democratic heelers who have conducted affairs on an extravagant scale. Favorite Democratic office-holders were voted exorbitant salaries. The Taxpayers' League, a non-political organization, has backed the minority of the city council—three Republicans—to urge a bitter fight for retrenchment, and that was accomplished last evening.
On account of the manner in which Bowen has conducted the office of city treasurer, the council has appointed a special committee to examine his books. Bowen's bondsmen have withdrawn and his salary has been reduced to $70 a month, and prominent Democrats are trying to get him to resign to save the party from absolute disgrace. He is the leader of the local Democracy and has the backing of the gamblers and prostitutes. Many leading Democrats are demanding Bowen's resignation or substantial assurances that his office will be properly conducted. Bowen said he would see the Democratic party in hades before he would resign. Bowen is George Hazzard's henchman in Jefferson County.
“Bowen said he would see the Democratic party in hades before he would resign.”
The 1892 campaign against 'Democratic heelers' and political corruption in Port Townsend echoes contemporary anxieties about local governance, fiscal accountability, and the influence of powerful interests on municipal offices. Today's efforts to reform local government often follow these same historical blueprints of taxpayer leagues and investigative oversight.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.