Fun in Seattle

Entertainment and bleachers for excavation watchers.

Flower boxes for all fire hydrants.

Appointment of Gus Hasselblad, best piccoloist on the force, to be chief of police.

Establishment of a Department of Worry for taxpayers.

A hostess for every street car; heavyweight wrestling champions to open car windows; cracked ice to be supplied on late night runs.

These and other extraordinary planks formed the platform of Victor Aloysius ("Vic") Meyers, 33-year-old jazz bandmaster, who was last week seeking nomination for Mayor of Seattle. Primary day is Feb. 23. Until then Seattle voters were to be treated to more free fun than they had had in any city campaign in years.

Explaining that "we don't take the primary or the candidates' promises seriously," the gaudy but conservative Times, which seldom picks a winner, devoted front-page spreads to Meyers' candidacy. In addition, appearing daily was Candidate Meyers' life story. Born in Little Falls, Minn.--"before Lindbergh"--the mayoral aspirant stated that his father was eleven times State assessor on the strength of his extraordinarily long beard. Father Meyers taught his son how to raise his small waxed mustache preparatory to a political career. Once Mr. Meyers digressed from the strict path of autobiography to suggest a way whereby "small saloons could be made to pay in Seattle."

Last week to Candidate Meyers' wife was born a baby girl. "Yesterday," he announced jubilantly, "I admitted that Mayor Jimmy Walker of New York was two suits and a pair of golf knickers up on me. Today I'm cleaning the slate, for I'm not only ahead of him on socks, but I also understand that I'm one whole daughter up on him."

Clad in a full dress suit, wearing a high silk hat and carrying a bouquet of daffodils, Candidate Meyers continued to attract daily throngs to his campaign truck, on which were seated two bands in circus costumes.

Aware that clowning of a less ingratiating sort had elected worse men to office, Seattle's nine other primary candidates ill-concealed their disgust and dismay. Among them were: Edward Brown, advertising dentist and onetime Mayor; Frank Edwards, recalled from "the mayoralty last summer (TIME, July 27); John Dore, oldtime newspaperman and now a prominent Seattle lawyer; Art Ritchie, onetime editor of the rip-roaring Star (Scripps-Canfield) ; City Councilman Otto Caso.

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