The Political Spoils System in City Hall
An affidavit from a local laborer reveals that city work was being doled out strictly based on partisan political affiliation rather than merit.
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.
Commissioner Wolfe, of the board of public works, testified under oath that workmen are never employed or discharged for politics. It is a well-known fact that Commissioner Wolfe, Secretary Heifner and others form an inside ring of the city government. Take the affidavit of James Harmon: he applied to the board in December 1893 for street work. Secretary C. G. Heifner told him to return later. When he returned, Heifner consulted a manuscript and said, 'Yes, I know about you. Rideout and Colman say that you would not be a very good man for the party.' He was told to see Mr. Ryan, who sent him back to the board. Rideout later told him, 'You had better fall in line, as we are going to put lots of boys to work.' Rideout and Colman are known Democratic ward heelers. It is an open secret that city jobs are used as political currency.
“You had better fall in line, as we are going to put lots of boys to work.”
This 1894 investigation into Seattle's patronage system echoes long-standing concerns about 'who you know' in local government contracting, a tension that persists in modern debates over city procurement and political accountability.
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