The Mayor Bows Out of the Political Fight
Mayor H. G. Struve declines a nomination for re-election, citing a desire for 'common sense' government and the unity of local business interests.
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A meeting of the Young Men's Independent Club was held at the courthouse last evening. Mr. Haines read a letter from Mayor H. G. Struve, who had been requested to address the club regarding his potential re-nomination. In his letter, Struve thanked the committee but stated he could not consent to have his name used as a candidate for the mayoralty. He expressed a desire to avoid dividing the forces of the Business Men's Association and the Independent Club, whom he considered representatives of the 'common sense' element of the city. He lauded Seattle as a law-abiding city requiring no radical upheaval, and warned against candidates whose 'mental organization makes them wayward, experimental, and generally unsafe in politics.' Following the reading, the club nominated John Leary for Mayor and J. B. Metcalfe for City Attorney, among others.
“It is the common sense element of the community that has projected into existence your Club and that of the business men. They represent that balance of mind... which inspire a restful confidence.”
Struve’s rhetoric about 'common sense' versus 'experimental' politics remains a common trope in Seattle municipal campaigns. The club's reliance on the 'Business Men's Association' as the bedrock of governance highlights the long history of the city's commercial class shaping its political leadership.
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