The Bosses' Sewer Scheme
When an investigation into a brick-buying scandal threatened city officials, they turned to the very workers they employed to save their reputations.
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.
The Ninth Ward Democratic Club, which met in the Shorey house at Fremont last night, on the explanation of Secretary Heifner and J. M. Wolfe, of the board of public works, prejudged the investigation by the mayor of the conduct of the board, by the adoption of resolutions condemning Mayor Ronald and Delegate Kloeber and expressing confidence in Wolfe. The meeting was evidently gotten up by Wolfe and Heifner, both of whom live in the ward, and was composed largely of men employed on the sewer construction, so that it was a good deal like a man being endorsed by those who were under obligation to him for an opportunity to work. The meeting was supposed to be non-partisan, but only one man had the hardihood to announce that he was not a Democrat, though employed on the sewer work, and all participated in the club meeting which was held afterward. Heifner and Wolfe both explained about the brick steal and attempted to show that City Engineer Thomson was responsible for the contract, as the board depended on him to make the necessary tests. They maintained that the brick were bought as cheap as it was possible to purchase brick of a like quality, and Heifner took occasion to remark that James F. McElroy, who a few nights ago made the honest statement that he was offered the same brick for a Chinese client at $1.50 a thousand less, had been acting as a lobbyist in the deal referred to and felt sore because he did not get a 'divvy.'
“It was a good deal like a man being endorsed by those who were under obligation to him for an opportunity to work.”
This story captures the quintessential Seattle political machine—where construction jobs were patronage, and 'non-partisan' meetings were just ways to ensure city workers voted for their own bosses to keep their paychecks. It echoes modern concerns about how municipal contracting and project oversight can be deeply compromised by internal influence and the leveraging of public employment for political loyalty.
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