Seattle: 1900-1920 -From Boomtown, Through Urban Turbulence ...

68 Part TwoParty became the City Party as the reformerscoalesced to fight for more direct legislation toundermine the control that corporations had overcity government. To achieve this objective, theSeattle Star’s Joe Smith organized the DirectLegislation League. The league mounted a petitiondrive that forced the city council to include onthe ballot propositions to allow initiatives andreferenda. These propositions were allied withone that would require that franchise agreementsbe submitted to voters by referendum. Votersin outlying districts overwhelmingly supportedthese propositions, allegedly because the privateutilities had neglected them. Attesting to thespreading popularity of municipal ownership,one Seattle Electric Company official said, “Iam afraid we will have to do something for thissection the first of the year.” Writing again inDecember 1909, after the Alaska-Yukon-PacificExposition, the same official declared, “There isa very strong attempt on the part of the real estatepromoters and business people to have us extendmany of our lines and open up new territory.”Police Chief Charles Wappenstein sendscriminals scampering for the “tall timber”in another cartoon from the Argus book ofcaricatures, "Men Behind the Seattle Spirit."As for the 1908 mayoral race, John F. Miller, with the backing of the P-I,overwhelmed Moore by five thousand votes, despite the fact that both the Star and theTimes supported Moore. The Times supported the incumbent because he had promisedBlethen he would appoint Charles Wappenstein police chief. The latter, nicknamed Wappy,and the colonel were close friends.When appealing for the moral vote, Miller had promised to rid the city of therestricted district. Once in office, however, he said that the closure would “take some timeto accomplish” because it would “be necessary to house the unfortunates who constitutethe colony.” Two months later he promised to at least close the “lowest houses” whileconceding that there might be a need to put the restricted district “somewhere.” HarryChadwick chided him for not closing those houses north of the deadline as a start. There,Chadwick claimed, “assignation houses [are] everywhere. There are restaurants withclosed boxes, and lodging houses above easily reached by back stairways.” Because of thisprodding, Miller set 1 September as the date he would close these houses down, hopingthat the colony’s denizens would choose to leave in the meantime. They did move, but onlyuptown. According to Chadwick, “some four hundred of the most disreputable” moved tothe lodging-house and residential sections. Chadwick observed that “crib houses” (lodginghouses) were renamed “parlor houses.” Missing his September deadline, Miller then chose1 December. As was to be expected, the police department came under criticism, so he firedWappenstein. Reportedly, the department was demoralized, just in time for the 1910 cityelection.