The Dolly Varden Ticket: Seattle's 1894 Scheme to Stitch Together a Political Frankenstein

There is a well-defined movement on foot to form a Dolly Varden Joseph's coat ticket. It is to be a thing of shreds and patches, and appears to be the creature of John Collins. In other words, the scheme is to get up a fusion ticket made of sorehead Republicans and as many of the Democratic party as can be induced to throw overboard their Democratic principles and to vote for the political monstrosity which it is proposed to bring forth from the political incubator.

The movement has been talked of for a long time, and on Friday evening the first move was made by calling a meeting of the faithful in the Occidental block. Here the scheme was unrolled to about 100 Democrats who were present. Among those said to be in attendance were John Collins, James Hamilton Lewis, letter-writer J. M. Carson, E. F. Blaine, L. C. Gilman, J. V. Ostrander, John Y. Tarry, M. M. Teeter and other lights of the Democratic world. It was stated by the speakers that it was a bad year for the Democratic party and that there was but little hope of winning if the party tried to stand alone. It was thought by the most sanguine that the Democrats would hardly elect a man if they put a ticket in the field.

There was one hope, however, and that was to fuse. The Populists intended to keep in the middle of the road and the Democratic hopes in that direction were knocked into a cocked hat. There was a chance for the party, and that was to unite with the dissatisfied Republicans and put before the people a Dolly Varden ticket, otherwise to put no Democratic ticket in the field. The idea would be to let the dissatisfied Republicans take the lead in the matter and for the latter to quietly give the Democrats half the offices. The ticket was to be called the King County Citizens' or Taxpayers' ticket. It was thought that it would be impolitic to nominate legislators on this ticket, for the reason that by doing so the United States senatorial fight could be kept out of the contest and Republicans could not urge their brethren to vote the straight Republican ticket on the plea that they were losing a senator for the party by voting the Dolly Varden ticket.

After a long pow-wow it was the sentiment of a majority that such a movement be entered into and committees were appointed to wait on the dissatisfied Republicans to see what could be done. It was stated at the meeting, however, that there were some Mugwumps who were ready to enter into the alliance proposed. The meeting adjourned till Tuesday evening. It is further said that at a later hour a conference was held in the Bailey block, where there was a gathering of dissatisfied Republicans who promised to do all they could to further the scheme as outlined by the Democrats.

Yesterday, it is said, the Dolly Varden movement assumed more form and proportion. The dissatisfied Republicans seemed to be pleased with the scheme, and the following plan was outlined. It was proposed to fairly load the ticket down with the heaviest taxpayers in the hope of catching votes. The call for the convention, they think, will be issued on Monday or Tuesday, and in the convention there will be given the widest and freest chance for individual opinion. Just how the delegates will be selected for the convention has not yet been decided. They do not know as yet whether primaries will be necessary or not, but it is almost certain that there will be a convention. The idea, they say, is to place in the field a ticket that will be acceptable to the taxpayers, acceptable to the disgruntled Republicans, acceptable to the Democrats and which will even catch a few Populist votes. With this hybrid ticket the Dolly Vardens expect to secure enough votes to defeat the regular Republican ticket. It was rumored that a subscription paper was being circulated for the purpose of raising funds to furnish sinews of war for the Dolly Varden ticket, and that the list was headed with a $1,000 subscription made by a prominent Republican. Just who the Republicans are who are aiding in the movement it is hard to learn. There cannot be a large number of them, as among a great number asked none would acknowledge that they were connected with the movement.

Democrats of principle decry the movement and say they would greatly prefer to have a straight Democratic ticket in the field, and declare that they will refrain from voting rather than support a hybrid ticket. They predict defeat for the movement.