Olympia's 1891 City Election: Ward Caucuses, Backroom Maneuvers, and a Fight Over Fair Play
As the Third Ward nominates a councilman and candidates jockey for mayor and treasurer, a taxpayer protests a plan for a mass convention that would sideline ward delegates.
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.
A delegate city convention for the nomination of a city ticket will be held at Columbia Hall Thursday evening, December 3, 1891, at 7:30 o'clock p.m. Representation will be one delegate for every twenty votes cast at the municipal election of 1890. The First Ward is entitled to thirteen delegates, the Second to nine, and the Third to nine. Meetings to elect delegates will be held in the First and Second wards tonight, and in the Third Ward Tuesday night.
The first step toward the municipal election was taken by the Third Ward on Saturday evening at a caucus for the nomination of councilmen. Councilman Marr called the meeting to order; B. W. Davis was chosen chairman and Robert Marr secretary. T. C. Van Epps and J. C. Rathbun were appointed tellers. On the informal ballot, T. A. Phipps led with 20 votes, followed by J. S. Dobbins with 5. On the formal ballot Mr. Phipps received 19 votes and Mr. Dobbins 12, and Mr. Phipps was declared the nominee. The caucus chose J. S. Dobbins for councilman at large, with 19 votes to F. W. Brown's 15. For city treasurer, George B. Hartman received 18 votes and Joseph Chilberg 15.
A delegate convention for the nomination of a mayor, treasurer, assessor and health officer will be held in Columbia Hall on Thursday evening. The mayoral contest was expected to narrow to T. C. Van Epps, Robert Marr and R. G. O'Brien. State Printer C. C. White declined to be mentioned. For city treasurer, the contest was between Joseph Chilberg, the present treasurer, L. Henderson and George B. Hartman.
A letter to the editor from an old resident urged that the city elect the best men without regard to politics. He recommended Robert E. Whitham for assessor, and named John F. Gowey, Councilman Marr and A. A. Phillips as well fitted for mayor. Another correspondent, signing 'Tax Payer,' objected to Mayor Horr's reported plan for a mass convention on Wednesday night, arguing that it would be unfair to the Second and Third wards. He urged ward meetings to select delegates, who would then meet at Columbia Hall on Thursday night to choose the ticket. Joseph Chilberg also announced his candidacy for re-election as city treasurer.
“We want the best men to rule the city, without regard to politics.”
In 1891, Olympia's municipal elections were hashed out in ward caucuses and delegate conventions—a process that could be both participatory and easily manipulated by insiders. The debate over whether to nominate by mass convention or ward delegates echoes modern arguments about open primaries, party insiders, and who gets a seat at the table. The more things change, the more the language of 'fair play' in local politics stays the same.
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