A Warhorse Against the Political Machine
A frustrated Democratic candidate exposes a 'mutual admiration society' in Whatcom County politics, alleging corruption in the appointment of local postmasters.
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.
Samuel Bass, of Whatcom, candidate for state auditor, arrived in Seattle 'loaded to the muzzle' with a political vendetta against his own party’s executive committee. Bass alleged that the committee was a corrupt 'mutual admiration society' where members were busy handing out federal appointments to themselves and their families rather than considering qualified candidates. Bass shared a letter from a supporter, W. H. Foots, which claimed that the appointment of a local druggist as postmaster was secured only through the influence of the superior court and political cronyism. Foots described the committee as 'the most rotten, contemptible political conclave that ever assembled' in Whatcom. Bass noted that he had been passed over despite receiving 200 votes in a local poll, largely because he refused to play the game of political patronage.
“It was a sort of mutual admiration society met together to indorse itself—the most rotten, contemptible political conclave that ever assembled together in this city.”
This dispute highlights the 'spoils system' that dominated local politics in the 1890s. The tension between grassroots support—represented by Bass—and the rigid control of the party machinery remains a persistent theme in Washington civic life.
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