The Martial Law Panic of 1886
As armed vigilantes patrolled Seattle, labor leaders turned to the President of the United States to stop a coup by force.
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.
In April 1886, a telegram was sent to Grover Cleveland, President of the United States: 'Petitioner's ask you in the name of hundreds of citizens, to countermand your order for withdrawal of United States troops from Seattle. An armed party of men, drilling daily, declare loudly to carry our coming elections by force if necessary, threatening the lives and property of defenseless citizens. You will receive by mail petitions setting forth detailed reasons for the remaining of troops here until after city election.' The petition was signed by M.P. McMillan, District Master Workman, and various local labor organizers and citizens, pleading for federal intervention against an organized, armed faction threatening to subvert local democratic processes.
“An armed party of men, drilling daily, declare loudly to carry our coming elections by force if necessary.”
This 1886 standoff captures the early, volatile birth of Seattle's labor-capital conflict. Much like today's concerns over political extremism and the integrity of democratic elections, Seattle residents in the 1880s were essentially debating whether paramilitary forces or civil institutions would control the city's future.
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