Law and Order Rally at Fourth and Marion
Hundreds of citizens, led by the Law and Order League, gathered in a vacant lot to demand moral reform and nominate a local ticket.
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.
Pursuant to a call signed by a number of leading business men, a mass convention of the legal voters of the city, 'who favor the enforcement of existing laws and ordinances, and the administration of municipal affairs by sober, honest and efficient men,' was held yesterday afternoon in the vacant lots on the corner of Fourth and Marion streets. About 400 citizens were present, the greater portion of whom were women. The platform demanded a vigorous enforcement of laws regulating intoxicating liquors and the suppression of gambling and the 'social evil.' The convention proceeded to nominate a slate for city office, including George Kinnear for Mayor, despite some opposition regarding the choice of Chief of Police.
“There are good men in the saloon business... but when they train with the lava bed element, and array themselves with the keepers of dives on Washington street to oppose law and order, they make their own choice.”
The intersection of Fourth and Marion is the heart of today’s downtown Seattle government corridor, yet this 1884 meeting highlights a perennial local struggle: the tension between civic boosterism and the demand for strict moral regulation by local activist groups. Much like contemporary debates, this 'Law and Order' movement framed its platform around the 'sober, honest and efficient' management of the city.
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