The 'Kid' Committee's Disreputable Grip on Seattle Politics
A local German-language paper accuses a shady political faction of attempting to manipulate patronage appointments, noting that their influence is waning in Washington D.C.
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.
Capt. O'Toole, of Mount Vernon, was recently appointed register of the United States land office, to the great displeasure of the gang of disreputable Seattle politicians known in this city under the name of the 'Kid' committee. The fact of his being fought by this gang (Schwefelbande) can only redound to his credit. At all events, the appointments so far made in this state go to show that an indorsement of the 'Kid' committee is not considered in Washington City as a recommendation to a candidate for office. It appears that the value of the gang comprising this committee is better understood there than here at home, where they are still allowed to dominate to the great detriment of the Democratic party.
“The fact of his being fought by this gang can only redound to his credit.”
This reflects the perennial Seattle struggle between local political 'machines' and state/federal oversight. The 'Kid committee' serves as a reminder that the city's reputation for complex, occasionally opaque, civic governance has deep roots.
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