The Seattle Waterfront Fight
Prominent local Democrats break ranks with their state party to endorse Republican John H. McGraw, citing the critical importance of the Lake Washington canal project.
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.
A series of letters from prominent Seattle residents, identified as Democrats, declares their intention to vote for Republican gubernatorial candidate John H. McGraw. The primary driver for this shift is the Lake Washington canal project. The Democratic state convention had previously condemned the canal, a move these residents label as 'political stupidity' and a 'deliberate insult' to King County. Judge Thomas Burke, D. H. Gilman, and others argue that the canal is a project of national importance, and that a Seattle citizen's first duty is to the local economy and infrastructure of their home, regardless of national party alignment.
“The man of this community that will tamely submit to insult is not entitled to respect and will not receive it.”
This reflects the long-standing tension between local Seattle infrastructure interests and broader party politics. Just as the canal project defined the 1892 election in Seattle, current regional politics continue to be shaped by infrastructure priorities that often override traditional party loyalty.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.