Democratic Factions Clash Over Convention Rules
Local committee members wrangle over primary rules to block or bolster the candidacy of James Hamilton Lewis.
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.
Yesterday afternoon the executive committee of the Democratic county central committee met and made arrangements for the coming primaries and county conventions. The primaries will be held in each voting precinct on August 6. In this city and Ballard, only those whose names appear on the registry lists will be allowed to vote. Each precinct will be given a delegate-at-large and one delegate for every twenty-five votes cast for Thomas Carroll in 1890. The total number of delegates will be about 180. The committee had a long and stormy session before an agreement could be reached. Several members wanted open primaries so that 'heelers' from the First Ward could be run in as voters, but after a sharp debate, closed registries were decided upon. The anti-Lewis faction wanted one convention to nominate all county officers, hoping to divide his strength, but the Lewis men preferred two conventions to keep his gubernatorial candidacy separate. The result was a compromise: one set of primaries but two conventions, an outcome that left nobody particularly pleased.
“The result of the fight was a compromise, with one set of primaries and two conventions—an outcome at which nobody seems particularly pleased, while some are exceedingly angry.”
Political maneuvering for control of party nomination processes is a perennial feature of Seattle civic life. The 'long and stormy session' described here highlights the tension between grassroots organizers and established political machines that continues to shape local primary debates.
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