Tacoma’s Democrats Wake Up to a Republican City

TACOMA, April 6.—The democracy of Tacoma is mad this morning; very mad. At least such is the condition of the Steve O’Brien and the Tacoma News wing of the party. They fully expected yesterday to elect Parker mayor and make a clean sweep of all the other offices. There is one wing of the party that is wreathed in smiles, and this wing is mocking at the calamity that has overtaken the other wing. The old-time Democrats who were snubbed by the O’Brien men are doing the smiling.

Only as late as Tuesday of last week John Paul Judson, of this city, a well-known old-time Democrat and attorney, went to the rooms of the Democratic city committee to ascertain some facts in regard to appointments which had been made for him to speak during the campaign. The doorkeeper refused to admit him into the inner room of the committee on the ground that he, Judson, was a stranger; and when the doorkeeper was prevailed upon to admit him, neither O’Brien nor Secretary Palmer were in, and Mr. Judson was compelled to introduce himself to the members of the committee. Not a person around the place was acquainted with Mr. Judson, who is one of the best-known Democrats in the city and state.

O’Brien is not a citizen of the country, and yet he is a leader of the democracy here. Thousands of dollars were put up on Parker and lost by the gamblers and the O’Brien men, all of whom were whooping it up all day yesterday for their candidate, who, by the way, was one of the speakers at the Francis Murphy meetings.

When the Democrats awoke this morning they were utterly surprised that the returns from all the precincts announced that the city comptroller and six councilmen were the only ones elected by the Democrats. They had supposed that their party had made a clean sweep and had bet all their loose change on the issue.

Slaughter was elected comptroller because Heilig, the Republican candidate, was little known and was associated in the theater business with W. E. Post, one of the most unpopular men in Tacoma, and a Democrat. Five Democrats are elected to the city council, as follows: Steinbach, Fontaine, Knoell, Abercrombie, McGouldrick and Proctor; one independent, Berry. Nine Republicans were elected. The Republicans have the whole city government except comptroller.

The total vote polled for mayor was 6,982 out of a total registration of 9,005, and 2,023 of these failed to vote. The vote in October, 1890, at the previous municipal election was 4,554, and the increase over the vote of 1890 is 2,428.