The Great Seattle Newspaper Boycott of 1885
When local liquor interests tried to silence the press for advocating Sunday sobriety, the community drew a line in the sawdust.
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 move having been made in Seattle to 'boycott' the Post-Intelligencer, that able journal found friends who immediately adopted retaliatory measures. Some Seattle business men are boycotting the Post-Intelligencer because it did not fight the Sunday law of that city. The liquor dealers, rather than have their licenses revoked, keep up on Monday. The 'Monday' law also offended the mercantile classes, a few of whom have joined the liquor dealers in a crusade against the law and order movement. Sutcliff Baxter was reportedly sent to induce the chief supporters of the paper to withdraw their advertising. As a general thing, the P.-I. says, he was very coldly received, but in a few instances he found men weak enough to yield to his importunities. The Post-Intelligencer proposes to stand by its colors and carry on the fight to the bitter end against those who have attempted to interfere with its business.
“It generally proves a losing game, this attempting to muzzle the press.”
This 1885 clash over 'Sunday laws' highlights a recurring theme in Seattle politics: the tension between moral reform agendas (often led by groups like the WCTU) and the powerful local liquor and hospitality trade. Much like today's fights over civic policy and commercial regulation, the weapon of choice—the 'boycott'—remains a potent, if messy, tool for local power struggles.
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