Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-05-13
COATES FOLSTED SOME
COSTLY DREAMS UPON
THE CITY OF SPOKANE
Guiding Hand Of partisan
League ousted as Commits
sioner Of Public Works.
ORGANIZED THE
YELLOW SOCIALISTS
Was Too Raw for the Regular
Members of That
Party.

Members of That
Party.
Spokane, Wash, May I'D. G.
Coates, editor of the partisan
Leader of Fargo, N. d., and one Of
the managers of the non-partisan
campaign in that state, was elected
a city commissioner of Spokane in
1911 on non-paTtisan ticket. No
sooner had he warmed his seat than
he began to fill the chief positions
with socialists and radicals with
whom he had been associated since
coming to Spokane from Wallace,
ID, II 1907 Coates, with the aid of
his political organization was large
ly instrumental in securing the adop-
tion of city charter in December,
1910, provided for non-partisan city
elections Local socialists, who
numbered 1000 in voting population
of $4,000 were given to understand
that il ever they captured the Offices
is would be on non-partisan basis,
with Coates as the leader. With the
exception of few middle-of-the-road,
uncompromising socialists, the Coates
following rallied to the support of the
partisan city charters, providing
for cOmmissinOn form OF govern
ment. After his election as commits
sioner the following March, Coates
lost no time in caring for his friends
his first act being the appointment
of his political secretary and cam
paign manager, A. W. Swonson, one
of the biterest socialists of the COM
munity, to the chief position OF super
intendent Of public works at $4,000 a
year. Coates business partner, H. l..
Hughes, also rank socialist, was
made a member of the charities COM
mission. Rex Meek, secretary Of
Coates campaign, was appointed to
the civil service commission; Morris
Welsh, was made upArinteH tlent OF
streets, +. NJ. Hiott, superintendent Of
the asphalt plant, and so on down the
line until nearly 20 places were filled.
So pronounced lad become Coates
tendency toward the appointment Of
socialists that it became a standing
joke at the city hall. When the
monthly pay roll from Coates de-
partment. reached the city auditors
office, the clerks were in the habit
Of remarking, 1--WE will now call the
roll Of the socialist party" ... I'd.
Distribution Of Spoils.
The straight-laced socialists in the
state organization, who did not profit
in Coates distribution of the spoils,
opposed to Coates plan Of masquerad-
ing as a non-partisan and claiming
to be a dues paying socialist at the
same time. Early in 1912 the state
secretary of the socialists made a
demand that Coates comply with one
of the requirements OF the party by
filing his undated resignation as city
commissioner with the state organi
zation. Coates declined, saying that
therefore did not come within the
jurisdiction Of the socialist party. He
pointed to his record in the appoint
ment of socialists and the advocacy
of sOcialistic fads In the city govern
ment as evidentc that while a non
partisan in Office, he was still a de-
vOut socialist at heart. The Spokane
local. composed chiefly of Coates ap-
pointees, attended the state conven-
tion at which Coates case was con-
sidered, in an effort to retain the
standing Of their chiof on the records
of the party. The state organization,
being comuased of Old-time followers
of the red flag, would accept no ex-
plantations and voted to GUST Coates
from the party. The Spokane So
cialists' local, fattened on the city pay
rolls, then voted to withdraw from
the party and establish new state
organization, called the yellow" So
cialists, while the old state Organi-
zation was known as the "red" So
,cialists. This split provoked many
heated sessions, running over months
and attracted much sattention in the
newspapers. The branch was not
healed until toward the enw of Coates
term, when the olive brach was held
out by the reds and the Spokane
"yellows" again taken back into the
fold. Nearly all of Coates lieutenants
were taken back into the fold but
Coates, because of the prominence
given the matter, did not renew his
affiliati0n at that time.
Disturbing Element.
From the very beginning Coates
proved to be disturbing element in
the new city government. Bound by
no party platform and answerable to
no one, Coates was at liberty to swing
every freak idea or fake reform that
came to his mind or was suggested by
his tireless lieutenants. Municipal
wood yards, city owned banks, public
laundries, street railways, dance halls,
lighting plants, telephone esystems
were sprung from time to time on an
unsuspecting public through the med
ium of newspapers friendly to his
cause Many OF these things were
showed up to the city council for a
vote while his paid workers filled the
chairs in the rear and furnished the
applause. Few of Coates ideas Sc
cured endorsement but suficced tol
give hi mthe publicity that he desired.
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