Democrats Rally at Germania Hall
Enthusiastic convention nominates George P. Wright for mayor amidst slick floors and political bluster.
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The fact that the Democrats stood in slippery places last night did not dampen their ardor and enthusiasm. The floor of Germania hall was glazed with wax from a recent dance, and more than one delegate did a 'loop-the-loop' stunt that delighted the crowd. When the convention settled into business, J.J. Anderson nominated George P. Wright for mayor, likening the party's position to a woman in a tree watching her husband fight a bear: they were happy to watch the Republicans battle it out while confident of their own victory. Wright was nominated to thunderous applause, pledging a clean city government and allegiance to a platform that included the establishment of a free employment bureau and the requirement that all public utility franchises be put to a public vote.
“We have watched the lively scrap that is going on in the camp of our friends the enemy, and we are in much the same position as the woman whose husband was engaged in a fight with a bear.”
This 1904 convention highlights the early 20th-century push for progressive reforms, such as the direct public vote on utility franchises and the creation of an employment bureau, which echo modern debates about public oversight of city infrastructure and labor market support in Tacoma.
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