Neighborhood Mobilizes to Block New Saloon
A massive community petition forces the city to deny a liquor license on Tacoma Avenue.
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 application of the Columbia Brewing Malting company for a license to run a saloon on Tacoma avenue near the library building has been turned down by the police and license committee. A remonstrance containing the names of nearly a thousand representative people of the city, and another from some of the property owners in the vicinity, aided the committee in reaching the decision. The citizens' petition was headed by Rev. John Reid of the East Congregational church. A petition asking that the license be granted was signed by a majority of the property owners in the block.
“A remonstrance containing the names of nearly a thousand representative people of the city... aided the committee in reaching the decision.”
Public pushback against land use—whether for liquor licenses, zoning changes, or high-density housing—remains a core feature of Tacoma civic life. This 1904 battle echoes contemporary tensions between local businesses and neighborhood organizations over the character and use of urban corridors.
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