The Battle for the Mayor’s Office
Gambling syndicates attempt to oust Mayor J.T. Ronald after he refuses to legalize or ignore their operations in Seattle.
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 plot of the gamblers and their sympathizers to force J.T. Ronald, Mayor of Seattle, into compliance with their wishes presented a new phase last night when Robert Levy carried out his threat and submitted charges to the city council against him. They have used every means in their power by way of threats and temptations. The gamblers have made frequent boasts that they would get rid of Mayor Ronald and Chief Jackson and have endeavored to carry out their threats. On the occasion of the last Democratic convention, Levy followed Ronald to Olympia and asked him to name the consideration for allowing gambling to open up. The reply he got was so hot that he returned to Seattle and informed the comptroller that Ronald was a fool for getting mad at a business proposition.
“They have used every means in their power by way of threats and temptations, and in their impotent rage at being thwarted employ insinuations where bolder measures failed.”
This account of a 1893 power struggle between a mayor and illegal gambling syndicates highlights the long history of Seattle’s 'vice' battles. It mirrors modern debates about corruption, influence, and the struggle to maintain municipal integrity against private interests looking to bypass city law for profit.
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