The Inaugural Ball Power Play
A mayor's boast of political reconciliation backfires when the Governor refuses to share the spotlight.
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 social explosion was narrowly avoided as the grand march was about to begin at the inaugural ball Wednesday evening. When J. W. Robinson was running for mayor last month, he answered the allegation that if elected, the mayor of this city and the governor of the state would be antagonistic, by stating that Gov. McGraw had assured him that he bore him no ill-will for the violent attacks upon the Republican candidate for governor in his paper during the late campaign, and that if elected mayor he would prove the existence of his cordial relations with Gov. McGraw by leading the grand march with him. Whether Gov. McGraw ever heard of the boast is not known, but when he was informed that Mayor Robinson proposed to lead the march, he detailed Adjt. Gen. O'Brien to inform George G. Mills, of the floor committee, that if the mayor's plan was carried out, he would not take a place in the line. The mayor was informed by Mr. Mills of the decision of the governor. As a result, Mayor Robinson did not lead the march, but the line was formed with Gen. O'Brien at its head.
“When he was informed that Mayor Robinson proposed to lead the march he detailed Adjt. Gen. O'Brien to inform George G. Mills, of the floor committee, that if the mayor's plan was carried out he would not take a place in the line.”
Public ceremonies remain high-stakes political theater in Seattle, where the seating of dignitaries or a snub at a major event often signals shifting power dynamics between City Hall and the State Capitol.
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