The Milton Mutiny: A Town Divided
A town council defies the federal government to bring back the saloon, sparking a fierce rebellion from local women.
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 staid and quiet little town of Milton is torn by a factional row that threatens to embrace the whole region. The town council, desiring to wet its whistle, has defied the people, the mayor, and the United States government and has granted a license for a saloon. For nearly two years, Milton has been dry. In the recent election, new men were chosen on the council, and it stood 4 to 1 wet. Saturday night, the saloon question came up. Councilman F. E. Bender led the license fight, and the license was granted for $500 a year. Special Inspector Miller of the United States government was present at the meeting and gave notice that the government would not countenance the placing of saloons in the reservation territory and if it was done there would be no appropriation for the improvements desired. 'To h— with the government,' shouted Bender in the ecstasy of victory. Then the people of Milton presented a long petition of remonstrance signed by 110 persons. Bender slammed it down on the table, declaring he did not care for their remonstrance. 'It’s got nothing but old women on it anyway and if they think they can ram religion down the throats of the city council they are mistaken,' he howled. When the Milton ladies heard how things had gone in the council, they got together in an indignation meeting yesterday. Now there are things doing in Milton. An indignation of women is no child’s play and if that saloon starts in Milton there may be a whole community of Carrie Nations out.
“An indignation of women is no child’s play and if that saloon starts in Milton there may be a whole community of Carrie Nations out.”
The tension between local control, federal mandates, and grassroots community organizing in Milton echoes contemporary debates over land-use authority and civic protests in the Puget Sound region. The fiery rhetoric used by both the councilman and the protesting women highlights the intense moral stakes of the temperance era.
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