The High-License Gamble: Seattle’s 1886 Liquor War
Business owners threaten to shutter their doors in a high-stakes protest against the city’s new, aggressive liquor licensing ordinances.
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 council met last night in special session at the call of the Mayor. A petition was presented by O.C. Shorey et al., for the repeal of the high-license ordinance. A recess of 15 minutes was taken to discuss the matter. The petitions of the saloon-keepers were laid on the table until the next regular meeting of the council, and the city attorney was instructed to draw an ordinance regarding licenses to conform to the requirements of the new charter. The proposed repeal will come up for action next Friday night. It is to be hoped that it will fail to pass. High license has worked very satisfactorily wherever tried, and there can be no doubt that the majority of the business men and taxpayers of this city are in favor of such an ordinance. Several saloon-keepers have declared their intention of closing up their places rather than pay the increased license fee. This is well understood to have been done for the purpose of influencing the council toward lowering the fee. Many who personally favor 'prohibition' have been willing to compromise on 'high license,' and if the new ordinance remains in force there is little chance of prohibition carrying the day at the approaching election in June.
“Several saloon-keepers have declared their intention of closing up their places rather than pay the increased license fee.”
The 1886 battle over 'high license' fees illustrates how Seattle’s governance has long wrestled with the tension between municipal revenue and the moral regulation of vice. Just as saloon owners threatened to quit the city to pressure the Council then, modern small business owners frequently leverage the threat of closure or exit to shape municipal tax and regulatory policy.
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