The Battle for Tacoma's Soul: Gambling vs. Reform
As municipal elections approach, the city faces a stark divide between Mayor Campbell’s clean-streets policy and the push for a 'wide-open' town.
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.
The slot machine question is already becoming prominent in municipal politics. It will be a factor in the spring conventions in this city. There are groups of active politicians in both parties who are determined to force, if possible, the toleration of slot machines and also some laxity in the enforcement of the anti-gambling statutes. These men seek, in fact, for a mayor who will give the city what is termed a 'wide-open policy,' such as has prevailed in Seattle for some years past. They also want less stringent regulation of 'the social vice.' The City of Tacoma at present occupies a somewhat remarkable position. It is governed by a mayor who is enforcing the laws. The town has become so clean that the red light district has been practically wiped out. It does not cover more than an acre of ground. Gamblers no longer attempt to do business openly in Tacoma and slot machines are not seen. In the upcoming Republican convention, there will be two candidates for the mayoralty nomination—Louis D. Campbell, the present mayor, and A. V. Fawcett, a former mayor.
“These men seek, in fact, for a mayor who will give the city what is termed a 'wide-open policy,' such as has prevailed in Seattle for some years past.”
This 1904 political struggle captures the perennial tension in Tacoma between moral reform and the economic lure of 'wide-open' vice industries. The debate over whether to clamp down on gambling and nightlife in favor of a 'clean' city remains a rhythmic echo in modern discussions about urban policy and downtown revitalization.
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