The Territorial Election: Defining Seattle’s Future in 1878
As Washington Territory eyes statehood, local papers urge a massive voter turnout to secure political clout and prove the region's population worth.
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.
If there is one thing that has been felt of our territorial citizens, it is that they have suffered against the many hardships of our political life. A hardship which, it is hoped, will ere many years cease to exist. The leading issue before the nation is one of finance—whether the government shall strictly pay its debts like any honest individual, or whether the crude doctrine of repudiation, or partial payment of bills and handouts, shall be adopted as the financial policy of the American Republic, the proud land of the free and the home of the brave.
In our local elections, the interest attaches more to men than measures. It is desirable to elect the best and soundest and most trustworthy men, irrespective of party. The chief political issue before us is the important one of a State Constitution, and this, too, is independent of party considerations, for both parties in this Territory are committed to its favor. It is desirable that there should be a full vote, for the biennial poll is the most reliable data we have, other than the decennial census, for computing our population, which is a question that will bear directly upon our chances for final admission into the Union. On an average, it is found that the election poll represents about one-fifth of the entire population. On this account, every voter counts at the ballot box.
“It is desirable that there should be a full vote, for the biennial poll is the most reliable data we have... for computing our population, which is a question that will bear directly upon our chances for final admission into the Union.”
In 1878, Seattle was fixated on statehood and the accuracy of census data gathered through voter turnout. Today, the stakes have shifted to representation through redistricting and housing density, yet the anxiety over being accurately counted and having a seat at the table remains a core theme of Seattle civic life.
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