Democratic Club Crowns New Mayoral Candidate
George P. Wright steps forward to lead the party in Tacoma’s upcoming mayoral race, shaking up the local political hierarchy.
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.
George P. Wright, of the wholesale grocery firm of Love, Johnson & Co., last night announced before the Democratic club that he will be a candidate for the nomination for mayor on the Democratic ticket. The announcement came as a surprise to many and the effect was dramatic. It crushed the ambitions of some of the former Democratic generals who have been the figureheads in former campaigns, but it was plain that their services of former years had passed from the memory of their supporters and that they were destined to become privates in the ranks of the party. George P. Wright, however, suits the party generally and all admit that he is not a weak man. He has lived in Tacoma seven years, during five of which he served as state grain commissioner under Governor Rogers. Before coming to Tacoma, Mr. Wright was a prominent farmer and grain dealer in Eastern Washington.
“It crushed the ambitions of some of the former Democratic generals who have been the figureheads in former campaigns.”
Local political shifts and 'machine' politics have long been a feature of Tacoma elections. Much like today's concerns over party insiders versus fresh challengers, the 1904 Democratic club found itself needing a candidate who could both satisfy the party base and withstand the scrutiny of a general election.
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