The Political Shell Game in Spokane
Leaked telegrams expose how national committeeman Hugh C. Wallace manipulated job seekers to install his own favorite for U.S. Attorney, leaving honest candidates in the lurch.
Hon. L. H. Piattor, a prominent Spokane Democrat and former county attorney, nearly secured the position of United States Attorney. However, leaked correspondence reveals that National Committeeman Hugh C. Wallace actively worked to multiply candidates to defeat Piattor and secure the appointment for Judge Brinker instead. Wallace induced Frank P. Hogan to seek a consul general post in Honolulu to keep him from interfering in local political maneuvers. Documents suggest Wallace also attempted to influence other candidates, including Judge George W. Belt, while misleading the public about the status of various appointments to bolster his own political standing. Despite Piattor's strong endorsements from the bar and prominent bank presidents, Wallace's backroom dealings successfully cleared the path for his preferred appointee.
“I will tell you the names of the two men in Washington state who defeated you, so that you will know how to treat them.”
This 1893 account of backroom patronage and political maneuvering in Spokane mirrors the modern frustration with opaque civic processes, where personal influence often outweighs public consensus in administrative appointments.
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