The Republican Campaign Heats Up in Skagit County
Candidate John H. McGraw receives a hero's welcome in Mount Vernon during a massive political rally.
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.
Mount Vernon, Oct 20. Hon. John H. McGraw’s appearance in Mount Vernon brought out the largest political meeting seen in Skagit County this fall, and the largest and most enthusiastic rally ever held in the county. Mr. McGraw was met at the depot by a delegation of Republicans, with Major A. M. Moore as chairman. At dark, the business houses all over the city were gaily decorated with Chinese lanterns, flags, and banners. A procession was formed which covered several blocks and paraded the principal streets. Arriving at Down's Opera House, a final cheer was given for Harrison and McGraw, and the crowd poured into the building. Mr. McGraw spoke on the importance of the campaign, noting that it was the first time the people of this state had a chance to vote for president. He promised, if elected, to administer the affairs of the state for the good of the people, keeping expenses down to invite capital and labor to work hand in hand.
“He would keep the expenses down and so conduct things as to invite capital and labor, hand in hand.”
This 1892 campaign stop captures the intense fervor of early Washington state politics, when rallies at town opera houses were the primary engine of civic discourse. The rhetoric of balancing 'capital and labor' remains a familiar tension in Seattle's political landscape over 130 years later.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.