Democratic infighting over the deputy collector
A power struggle in the local Democratic party leaves the deputy collector post in limbo amid accusations of gambling and political debt.
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 local Democracy is still in an agony of uncertainty as to who will be deputy collector at this port, and Collector Saunders seems to be in an equal agony of fear that any appointment he may make will land him in the midst of a hornet's nest. The objectors to Maloney do not scruple to say that Maloney's appointment was the payment of one of Tyee Wallace's political debts. Saunders did this much against his will, on account of Maloney's record as a gambler, but the Tyee was all-powerful and he yielded. Now there is danger that the appointment may not be approved by the department. This makes him abnormally cautious in his choice of a deputy at Seattle, particularly as he has a bewildering number of candidates to choose from, some of whom are accusing one another of smashing the decalogue.
“He has a bewildering number of candidates to choose from, some of whom are accusing one another of smashing the decalogue.”
The 'political pot' of the 1890s was a hotbed of patronage and machine politics. While the machinery has moved from smoke-filled rooms to modern party committee rooms, the underlying struggle for influence and the frustration of the 'decent element' of voters remains a constant in local governance.
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