The 'Reform' Administration’s Open Secret
While the police publicly touted a permanent closure of gambling, four major houses reopened under a new protective arrangement.
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.
Last night four gambling houses opened their doors and from early evening until long after midnight were undisturbed by the police, although no effort was made to conceal that the houses were open. For several days it has been rumored that the 'Mullen & Way' combine had reached an arrangement with the administration and the Democratic central committee to allow gambling to run openly under 'protection.' It was reported that a percentage of the profits of each house was to be paid into a fund, of which John Considine of the Democratic committee would serve as treasurer. Only those willing to agree to the terms of the Mullen & Way combine were allowed to open. Last night, the 'Horseshoe,' the 'Butler,' the 'M. & N.,' and the 'Peoples' were the houses that demonstrated they were part of the new deal. Each house had a faro table and a crap game in operation, and while they employed doorkeepers, everyone was welcomed and the police did not call to inquire what was going on. This is how the 'reform' administration closes gambling 'for all time.'
“This is the way the 'reform' administration closes gambling 'for all time.'”
This 1893 report captures the familiar cycle of Seattle political corruption where 'reform' candidates often ran on moral crusades against vice, only to integrate those same illicit businesses into the city’s tax or patronage structure once elected. Today, the debate has shifted from gambling dens to zoning and public safety funding, but the tension between campaign promises of 'cleaning up the city' and the practical reality of political backroom deals remains a constant in Seattle civic life.
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