Democratic Party Factionalism in King County
Multiple competing campaign clubs spring up as local Democrats struggle to organize ahead of the 1892 election.
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.
There is evidently a split in the Democratic party of King County over the question of forming campaign clubs. Some months ago, the King County Central club, auxiliary to the state organization, was formed. A day or two since, some called a meeting in the Occidental block for the purpose of considering the advisability of getting up a new campaign club. By a vote of 29 to 28, the group decided to adhere to the existing Central club. Nevertheless, 28 members stuck to their opinion and started a 'Cleveland and Lewis' club. Last night, another rival, the 'Cleveland and Stevenson King County Club,' was set up in the Coleman block. Those involved declare hostility to the Central club, saying 'the more organizations the merrier,' but the fact remains that the new one is made up of men discontented with the old.
“Those in it declare hostility to the Central club, and say 'the more organizations the merrier,' but the fact remains that the new one is made up of men discontented with the old.”
Internal party strife and the formation of competing grassroots organizations remain a hallmark of Seattle politics. The struggle over who has the 'right' to define party identity in King County is as relevant today as it was in the shadow of the 1892 presidential election.
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