Ballard’s Political Feud
A bitter public dispute erupts between a former treasurer and a local editor, trading accusations of criminal fraud and libel.
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War to the knife has broken out between John Keane, ex-treasurer and councilman of Ballard, and P. F. Morrow, editor of the Ballard Enterprise, resulting in charges by Morrow that Keane was guilty of fraud when he was city treasurer, and in the threat by Keene that he will sue Morrow for criminal libel. The fight grew out of the city election of last December. Following an editorial titled 'Who Stole the Hem?', the Enterprise charged Keane with fraudulent entries, misleading reports, and unlawful salary retention. Keane's supporters suggest the discrepancies stem from his inexperience in accounting and the actions of the ex-marshal, rather than corruption, but a formal examination of city books is underway.
“War to the knife has broken out between John Keene, ex-treasurer and councilman of Ballard, and P. F. Morrow, editor of the Ballard Enterprise.”
Local political rivalries in Ballard—often exacerbated by newspapers championing specific factions—highlight the intense nature of early municipal governance. The transition from independent Ballard to a neighborhood of Seattle was often punctuated by exactly this kind of intense, hyper-local civic infighting.
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