State Ex Rel. Ausburn v. City of Seattle

James Ausburn, and other firemen of the city of Seattle, sought by mandamus proceedings to require the city of Seattle to pay to them certain amounts of their respective salaries which they alleged were unlawfully withheld from them. From judgment entered in favor of the relators, the city and its comptroller appealed.

In 1924, an initiative measure was passed by the voters of Seattle increasing the salary of the firemen of the class of the respondents in the sum of twenty-five dollars monthly. The effect of that ordinance was to fix the salary of the respondents, and others of that grade, at…