The Great Rain-Soaked Barbecue of 1889
A much-hyped political feast in Seattle ends in a pathetic drizzle, empty plates, and heated accusations of corruption between the Republican and Democratic parties.
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 'grand barbecue' given by the Democrats to their followers in and about Seattle was a most ignominious failure. For the event had been talked of for a week or ten days and had been advertised as an occasion beyond anything ever seen in Seattle. The Republicans expected a great show, and the loafers of the city had been looking toward the occasion with watering countenances; but the organizers of charity were too parsimonious to the University grounds, and happily, there was less to eat than the money in the treasury this year. The profligacy which had been expected resulted in a very diminutive, rain-soaked barbecue. Heavy rain fell in the morning, and just when the crowd was to have approached the tables, groaning under the weight of a near-zoological garden, the weather decided to wipe its weeping eyes. A motley crowd of urchins and roustabouts sat down to partake of refreshments. When they rose, a few more took the vacant places and proceeded to eat until the rain drove the whole crowd to the shelters. Following the feast, the joint debate drew 800 people to the Armory, where political tensions flared between James Hamilton Lewis, Mr. Dorney, and Mr. Thompson. Accusations of land-grabbing, railroad monopolies, and political chicanery were traded as the rain poured outside.
“The loafing element of the city had been looking toward the occasion with watering countenances.”
Political theater has long been a Seattle staple, though these days the 'land-grabbing' accusations often focus on gentrification and luxury developers rather than the 19th-century railroad barons mentioned here. The struggle over who truly represents the working class—and who is in the pocket of monied interests—remains a persistent theme in local political life.
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