The Price of a Police Chief
A political faction demands the mayor fire the police chief in exchange for convention votes, exposing a deep rift in Seattle's political machine.
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 Republican municipal convention has concluded, and Thomas Jefferson Humes has been nominated for mayor. Before the vote, John Clancy approached Mayor Humes with an ultimatum: fire Chief of Police Charley Reed, or lose 24 First Ward votes. Humes reportedly agreed to the demand, promising to fire Reed if re-elected. The Seattle Republican, which has long campaigned against Reed, notes the irony of these 'vile men' dictating terms to the mayor. Meanwhile, reformers in the Good Government Club and the Anti-Saloon League are mobilizing to oppose Humes, arguing he has flagrantly disregarded the city's laws to satisfy corrupt interests. The paper warns Humes that if he does not suppress public gambling and enforce the law equally, his re-election in March will be met with organized opposition.
“An old adage runs, 'when thieves fall out honest men get their own,' it is more than applicable in this instance.”
This 1900 report on police leadership as a bargaining chip in mayoral politics mirrors contemporary debates in Seattle regarding police oversight, accountability, and the influence of political machines on public safety. The tension between the city's 'respectable' reformers and the 'vicious element' of the early 20th century highlights the perennial struggle for control over the city's moral and legal character.
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