Balloted Until Dawn: How Seattle Democrats Finally Picked a County Chairman
A King County Democratic committee deadlocks past 3 a.m., reconvenes, and crowns John Collins after midnight — then the losers promise the fight is far from over.
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 Democratic county central committee has at last completed its organization. There was opposition to John Collins, but he has succeeded in winning a victory over his enemies and proving his popularity with his party. The committee first met on Monday afternoon of last week, and after balloting until 3 o'clock the next morning, adjourned with no choice. The second meeting was at 2 o'clock last Monday afternoon. Shortly after midnight John Collins was chosen chairman. At about 5 o'clock yesterday morning the session broke up, the following officers having been chosen: Chairman, John Collins; secretary, John Y. Terry; treasurer, Terence O'Brien; executive committee, F. A. McDonald, Charles Caplin, Jr., A. G. Cain, J. T. Blakistone, E. E. Bennett, S. H. Phelps, Harry Collins of Newcastle, John T. Wiley of Columbia, and John H. Porter of Slaughter.
There is some talk to the effect that Terence O'Brien is for the place of treasurer because he is not a member of the county central committee, and only got into the meeting on a proxy; but it will not be made to stick.
P. Gleason will step down and out of his place as assistant secretary of the Democratic county central committee. He fought long and stoutly for John Collins in the recent battle, and it is said that he would be reconciled to the change but for one thing — the selection of John Y. Terry as secretary of the committee and the placing of James T. Blakistone on the executive board. During the last three months these two Democrats have been after the scalp of Mr. Gleason, and have been painfully outspoken in their criticism of his political methods. The friends of Mr. Gleason say that though he is out of politics, the circus is by no means over yet.
“Though he is out of politics, the circus is by no means over yet.”
Intra-party faction fights over committee seats are as old as the parties themselves; modern county and state party reorganizations still turn on proxies, rival slates and personal grudges. The 1891 marathon — with its 3 a.m. ballots and threatened proxy challenge — would look familiar to any precinct organizer today.
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