The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-23
APIONEER ON M'GRAW
Beriah Brown, the Old Demo-
cratic Party Leader, Talks.
M'GRAW's RECORD wELL.kNowN
Brown Tells OF the Early Career IN
Seattle Of the Republican Can.
dfdate for Governor.

For very many years Beriah Brown was one
OF the most active politicians in Seattle. He
was an incorporating Democrat. He ran q
paper IN Seattle for years he was elected mayor
OF the city by a combination of all classes
against the Gambling element Brown fought
the Republicans necessarily and hotly. He
knew almost every man in the place until about
the time of the fire. He was intimately ac-
qusinted-more so than any other man in the
city-with the personal character and political
afhiiations OF every public character.
Although am Democrat" he said yester
day, 81 have twice voted for John II. McGrsw,
and l shall vote for him for governor. never
heard reputable in either party say or
intimate that MeGraw had ever broken his
word, betrayed trust. wronged a man or done
any one thing OF which al honorable man need
be ashamed
81 have heard those stories about McGraw and
gambling. They have been circulated by
toEious character who was once reformed and
baptized by Judge Greene and on the same day
ne took advantage OF the insolvency act This
same man when he Joined the church turned all
his gambling tools over to the deacon, and
among them were sleeves fixed to conceal cards
and other devices known to the gambler. Isup-
pose they We're sold as 'curios for the benefit of
the church i have heard all that has been
said OF McGraw as to his interest in gambling
house. and declare them to be false. l knew
McGraw when he was clerk at the Occidental,
when he ran the American house-he never ran
the Office saloon. I knew him an patrolman,
as chief OF police. as sheriff, and never found
him anything but gentleman and an honor
able man.
Nobody who knows me, or who knew my
paper. will doubt me when say that if there
had been any truth in the stories OF McGraw
(and l must have known It if it were so, for
some OF my printers knew every gam bling room
in the toWul 7 would have puhiishad fhapn nm
him III some OF our campaigns My liking and
respect for McGraw arose ont Of my conviction
after several years, that he was one of the sQuar
est men ever knew.
81 have fought McGraw Republican:
fought what the Democrats called the old court
house ring; was elected mayor almost on that
platform; helped to make our county ticket
via; insisted that the books of every county
official should be examined. We discovered
Hills shortage, and you may imagine how that
stimulated endeavor to find corruption in the
other Offices. McGraw was sheriff; had op-
posed him, but after the most searching in.
vestgation of his Office, his books, his deputies
and everything we could think OF, not one soli-
tary instance of corruption or Of dishonesty was
found.
"Ask any OF the old settlers what kind OF
house McGraw kept-he only had it a short time.
They all knew him well. Ask Amos Brown or
John Collins, or Charlie Anderson or Amass
Miller
al remember the old American house we'll 1t
stood on Yesler avenue near Railroad avenue.
Then IL was the house near the mili-Yeslers
mill. 1t was burned down at the time the mill
was burned. McGsaw had no gambling tables
in his house, although gambling was done
openly in those days. and nearly every saloon
had games. The only approach to gambling in
the American house was a card room. 1t was at
the back of tho Office, but there Was no door,
only wide. uncovered doorway, and it is abso-
lutely ridiculous that any kind of machinery
for fraudulent gambling could have been in the
room.
"When McGraw was burned out he went on
the police force at. think, about $45 a month.
He did not seem to have become very rich, did
he?'