The Political Circus Comes to Seattle
A visiting delegation of Indiana Republicans finds the city 'full of enthusiasm' while disparaging Democratic efforts to court the labor vote.
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.
It will be remembered that notice was made yesterday of the presence in Seattle of Hon. Walter Olds, Republican candidate for the supreme judgeship of Indiana, and of Hon. A. L. Mitten, also of Indiana and a prominent supporter of the party. A reporter of the P.-I. called on these gentlemen at the Occidental Hotel and made inquiry concerning the political outlook in Indiana and elsewhere. Referring to the nomination of Gen. Harrison, Judge Olds said that it had met with the most enthusiastic approval in Indiana, where Harrison is a popular idol. Dr. Mitten agreed with all that Judge Olds said, and added that the campaign was in strong, capable hands. Perhaps the most unblushing of the campaign frauds, Dr. Mitten said, is the Democratic effort to create annoyance against General Harrison among the laboring men of the country. There is absolutely no foundation for the charges circulated so loudly over the country. Harrison's record in Indiana, where he is best known, is that of a consistent advocate of the interests of the masses. He is especially known as an ardent supporter of protection to American labor. Judge Olds and Dr. Mitten, with Mr. Willett, who is traveling with them, will remain in and about Seattle for a week. They visited Lake Washington recently, and will take in all places of interest while here. They have expressed much enthusiasm and admiration for Seattle.
“Perhaps the most unblushing of the campaign frauds... is the Democratic effort to create annoyance against General Harrison among the laboring men of the country.”
In 1888, the 'labor vote' was a central battleground for national campaigns in Seattle, with politicians using local papers to sway public perception. Today's Seattle politics remains similarly obsessed with the interplay between labor, national partisan agendas, and the city's rapidly shifting economic identity.
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