The Fight for the Armory: Seattle's 1889 Municipal Election
On the eve of a pivotal local election, the Post-Intelligencer urges citizens to show up to the city convention to ensure 'sound and able men' are selected for public office.
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 people should not fail to attend the convention which is called to meet at the Armory this evening. It is conceded that in all probability the gentlemen nominated by this convention will be elected, and it is therefore more than usually important that there be a full attendance of representative citizens, and that sound and able men be put forward for the offices to be filled. Never, it may be said with confidence, have the people of Seattle felt the necessity of having honest and reliable men in the municipal offices more than they feel it today. This is to be a mass convention, and every voter is entitled to a seat in it. If the convention is a representative gathering, and if a reasonable degree of care is exercised in the selection of a ticket, the city will be wisely and profitably governed during the coming year.
“Never, it may be said with confidence, have the people of Seattle felt the necessity of having honest and reliable men in the municipal offices more than they feel it today.”
In 1889, Seattle was in the midst of massive rebuilding and growth, leading to intense scrutiny of municipal governance. Today, this echo remains as Seattle voters navigate the perennial tension between rapid development, housing affordability, and the search for effective civic leadership.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.