The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1914-03-06
SEATTLE TURNS
FURTH DOWN
DEFEAT OF TRENHOLME rs
IN REALITY DECIDED RE
BUKE TO ATTEMPTED CON-
troll OF MUNICIPAL AF-
FAIRS BY SEATTLE ELEC
TRIO AND OTHER INTER
ESTS.

the election of Hiram G.. Gill as
mayor of Seattle to succeed George
Cotterill. Two years ago Mr.. Gill was
recalled from that same office, largely
by the votes of the women of the city
who lined up behind Mr.. Cotterill as
the champion of the reform forces.
Today Mr.. Gill wins with ease, polling
the votes of thousands who opposed
him two years ago. One who knew
nothing of the inside workings of the
campaign just over would accuse Sc
attic voters of being tickle in their
mayoralty tastes. To those who have
studied the situation the result is sig
nificant of the trend of the public
mind toward the use of money and
corporate influence to sway an cleo
ton and control public officials. The
situation is worth analyzing somewhat.
Two years ago Gill was openly sup
ported by the worst elements of the
city. Big business interests were for
him. George Cotterill, who for a quar-
ter of a century had led reform move
ments, was chosen to oppose Gill. The
Seattle Star fought Gill as only the
Star knows how to fight. The P.-L
Seattle Times alone supporting Gill.
The campaign was fought out on moral
issues and Cotterill won. Gillism-
whatever that was-was repudiated
and the word sent out that Seattle
had been redeemed. Both Vice and
Corporate Influence had been sting
ingly rebuked 1t was the sentiment
of the honest, clean citizenship of Sc
attle doing it's stern duty at the ballot
box
This week good, clean citizens by
the thousands went out and voted for
Gill with the same purpose as actuated
them two years ago. viz, to make Sc
attic a decent city to live in It was
no triumph for "open town" advocates, |
it indicated no change in the senti- |
shift in the alignment of the Big Busi- |
ness forces, new move on the check
erboard of municipal politics by the
of Commerce
Commercial Brewing interests. |
The Seattle Star fights in the
open. When it came out openly for
Gill, the man it had been so largely
instrumental in defeating two years
it laid it's cards on the |
table. 1t charged the use of corporate
money to elect Trenholme 1t charged |
the state Democratic machine was
using it's influence for Trenholme, a
candidate, 1t further
charged that the forces that had al
ways been bitter enemies to munich |
pal ownership were still fighting that
behind a dummy candidate,
and that candidate was Trenholme.
The Star was in the role of prosecut-
ing attorney, the voters constituted the
Judge and jury. If the Star could
prove its charges, Trenholme was
beaten. There was no guess work
about that
Before a committee of three of Sc
attle's most reputable citizens, the evil
dence was laid. The report, though
deftly worded so as to convey the i'm
preston that both candidates were
free from undue influences, proved the
truth of the Stars charges. Gill was
found to have made his campaign on
his own financial resources and on the
modest sum of less than $1,000. Quite
the contrary with Trenholme. He was
brought out originally as candidate
by prominent business men who were
dissatisfied with the radical admin
istration of Cotterill The sum of $5,-
500 was raised for him from among
the same men. Mr.. Heinrich Of the
Seattle Brewing Co. gave $500; jacob
Furth gave $500; Mr.. Chilberg, presi-
dent of the Chamber of Commerce,
gave $1,000. And then the balance OF
the list of contributors was convent
emily destroyed. No one denies that
this money was spent in perfectly
legitimate manner, its source is the
damning evidence that upheld the
Stars claim. The donors set up the
claim that the money was given in
patriotic spirit as they woud donte
to any worthy municipal enterprise
That claim fooled nobody as the votet-
ers knew that those interests play the
game of municipal politics with the
sole view of maintaining the strangle