A Torchlight Ovation for Bradshaw
Republican political candidate Bradshaw receives a boisterous welcome in Olympia, signaling a heated campaign season in Thurston County.
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.
Bradshaw received a rousing ovation here last night. A grand torchlight and fire-bell parade with a brass band marched through the principal streets and made a fine display. Columbia Hall was crowded until no standing room could be obtained. Many ladies were present. Addresses made by Bradshaw, Haines, Hanford and Brooks were received with enthusiasm. Thurston county will give a large Republican majority.
“A grand torchlight and fire-bell parade with a brass band marched through the principal streets.”
Political rallies in 1880s Washington were grand, performative spectacles involving torchlight parades and fire bells. It offers a stark contrast to modern, more digitally-mediated political campaigning, though the intense regional partisanship remains a familiar theme.
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