The Political Pot Boils Over in Seattle
As the municipal election approaches, local factions scramble to assemble winning coalitions and candidates.
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 political pot in Seattle is nearing the fever heat. Factional differences are now slight, with talk of a three-ticket race for the Democrats, Republicans, and Populists. Leading Democrats suggest prominent figures like George Donworth or John Collins for mayor. Meanwhile, the Republican party has taken the initiative to declare for a straight partisan ticket. Candidates are already making aggressive moves, with names like Justice G. Austin and Harry C. Gordon surfacing in the press. The Popullists, though undecided on a straight ticket, may promote a 'Citizen' ticket centered on municipal ownership, potentially drawing support from Single Taxers and Socialist Democrats.
“When a man is installed in the mayoralty chair, if he would be a successful official and a prosperous politician, he should at once adopt a policy... and then have back-bone enough to stand by his guns.”
This 1900 report on Seattle's factional infighting reflects a perennial struggle in city governance: the tension between party machines and 'good government' reformers. The debate over 'municipal ownership' of public utilities remains a central, unresolved argument in Seattle's political identity over a century later.
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