The Rowdy Pierce County Democratic Convention
Boos, hisses, and shouts of 'Rats' define a chaotic convention as local Democrats revolt against a fusion plan with the People's Party.
The story, cleaned up
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Kilkenny cats could not have created more of a row than today's Democratic county convention in Tacoma. George Hazzard, an associate of Col. C.W. Griggs, attempted to push for a fusion ticket with the People's Party, arguing for the party to support two judicial candidates from the People's Party ticket. Hazzard's efforts were met with shiering hisses and shouts from the crowd. Fred C. Roberts, a leader of the 'kids' faction, successfully countered Hazzard's motion, and Hazzard was defeated by a vote of 211 to 124. During the roll call, delegates shouted at Hazzard to 'Shut up!' and 'Rats!' Ultimately, the convention voted to support the Republican-nominated judicial slate, effectively burying the fusion plan and leaving many Democrats frustrated.
“At this juncture the opponents of Hazzard were angry, boisterously yelling at him across the hall to 'Shut up! Sit down! Get out! Come off! Rats!' etc.”
This 1892 struggle over 'fusion' vs. party purity reflects the perennial tension in Washington politics: whether to build broad ideological coalitions or hold strict party lines. The raucous nature of 19th-century county conventions reminds us that today's sanitized partisan debates have deep, messy roots in local civic power struggles.
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