The Port Townsend Democratic Uprising
A raucous meeting of the Young Men's Democratic Club in Port Townsend erupts in chaos as members pass scathing resolutions condemning Collector of Customs James C. Saunders for cronyism and alleged corruption.
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.
Long before the hour of convening, the city hall in Port Townsend was filled with an overflowing crowd of Democrats who had assembled in response to the call issued by the Young Men's Democratic Club. The purpose was to condemn the undemocratic policy of Collector of Customs James C. Saunders in the matter of distributing offices to unworthy Democrats and Republican partisans. President J. H. Livermore called the meeting to order, stating that Saunders had ignored faithful party members, opting instead to keep Republicans in office to benefit his private banking interests. Following the fiery speech, the club passed resolutions denouncing Saunders as a 'traitor to his trust' and a 'common liar,' prompting a scene of indescribable confusion where supporters and opponents hurled epithets at one another until the telegraph wires failed, cutting off further news.
“That the said James C. Saunders is a person unworthy of political, business or social confidence of the Democrats and citizens of this county; that he is guilty of the most manifest and contemptuous disloyalty to his political party; that he is a traitor to his trust, and that he is a common liar.”
The fierce battle over political patronage and the influence of private banking interests within the civil service mirrors ongoing modern debates about the intersection of public office and private enrichment. Even in 1894, local political clubs served as the primary, often explosive, venue for citizens to hold their appointed officials accountable for perceived corruption.
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