Seattle Firefighters Battle Political Interference
Thirty-two members of the fire department sign a memorial protesting the threat of a new, politically motivated chief.
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.
Troubles in the fire department have taken a serious aspect. At the last meeting of the board of fire commissioners, it was resolved by the votes of Mayor Ronald, Frank J. Foster, and others to declare the office of chief vacant and that A. B. Hunt be elected chief. Chief Kellogg begged the board not to act hastily, and the mayor decided to postpone further action until this evening. Meantime, Mayor Ronald has privately examined every member of the fire department, but they were pledged to secrecy. Yesterday, a document was circulated among the men protesting against the appointment of any chief who is not well qualified for the office, since the lives of the men depend upon the judgment and efficiency of their superior officers. The memorial states that the department is being converted into a political machine, noting that one commissioner pledged himself in writing to vote for a specific man purely for political reasons. The firefighters conclude that they cannot be expected to place their lives in the hands of a chief chosen for political service rather than capability.
“We were assured during the last city election that this department should be preserved in its integrity... Scarcely had the result of the election been declared before we were informed that we were to have a new chief.”
This 1892 struggle over the 'politicization' of the Seattle Fire Department mirrors modern debates about whether municipal agencies should be run by technocrats or elected officials beholden to partisan machines. The firefighters' appeal to 'principle' over political appointment remains a recurring theme in Seattle civic discourse.
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