The Mayor vs. The Machines
Tacoma's Mayor Louis D. Campbell rallies voters at Tyler's Hall, accusing local press and the city council of working in lockstep with corporate and gambling interests.
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.
Last night Mayor Campbell addressed a large assemblage of Second ward voters at Tyler's Hall on St. Helens Avenue. Campbell recounted his efforts to secure cheaper lights for the city, noting the opposition of the council and the Tacoma Railway & Power Company. He defended his administration against a city-ordered investigation, claiming the council was motivated by political hostility rather than genuine inquiry. The Mayor explicitly accused the local newspapers, The News and The Ledger, of distorting facts and acting as mouthpieces for his political enemies, specifically citing his refusal to pay inflated printing bills. He declared that there would be no slot machines or 'wide open gambling' while he was in office, accusing the previous regime of using the police court for revenue collection from illicit trades. He urged the voters to replace councilmen who acted in the interest of streetcar monopolies with those who would represent the public interest.
“There will be no slot machines and no wide open gambling in this city as long as I am mayor. Other people think gambling ought to exist, but I don't.”
Mayor Campbell's campaign against utility monopolies and his fight over local media influence echo current Tacoma debates about public utilities and political transparency. The clash between 'reform' mayors and established business-aligned city councils is a persistent cycle in Pacific Northwest civic history.
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