USA > Washington > Walla Walla County > An illustrated history of Walla Walla County, state of Washington > Part 16
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HISTORY OF WALLA WALLA COUNTY.
territorial convention Frank Clark, of Pierce county, received the nomination of the Democ- racy for the office of congressional delegate, the balloting in the convention having been close and spirited. The Republican territorial con- vention succeeded in running in the proverbial "dark horse." in the person of Alvan Flanders, & Walla Walla merchant, who was made the nominee, defeating three very strong candi- (lates.
Owing to the agitation of the Vigilance question, referring to diverging opinions of the citizens as to the proper method of administer- ing justice, the politics of the county were in a peculiarly disrupted and disorganized condi- tion. and the Vigilance issue had an unmistak- able influence on the election, as was shown ly the many peculiarities which were brought to light when the returns were fully in. The Democrats of the county were particularly de- sirous of electing certain of their county can- didates, and it is stated that the Republicans were able to divert many Democratic votes to their candidate for delegate to congress by trad- ing votes with Democrats and pledging their support to local Democratic candidates. The fact that such bartering took place is assured, for while the returns gave a Democratic ma- jority of about two hundred and fifty in Walla Walla county for all other officers, the delegate received a majority of only one hundred and twenty-four. This action on the part of the Walla Walla Democrats secured the election of the Republican candidate, whose majority in the territory was only ninety-six.
The result of the election in the county, held on the 3d of June, was as follows: Frank Clark, the Democratic candidate for delegate, received 606 votes, and Alvan Flanders, Re- publican, 482. The other officers elected were as follows: Prosecuting attorney. F. P. Du-
gan ; councilman, W. H. Newell; joint council- man ( Walla Walla and Stevens counties ), J. M. Vansyckle : representatives. W. P. Horton, E. Ping. J. M. Lamb. P. B. Johnson and B. F. Regan ; probate judge, H. M. Chase: sher- iff. A. Seitel : auditor, J. H. Blewett : treasurer, J. D. Cook: assessor. C. Ireland: surveyor, W. L. Gaston: superintendent of schools, C. Eells: coroner. L. H. Goodwin; county com- missioners, S. M. Wait. D. M. Jessee (evidently an error in returns, as W. T. Barnes, a Demo- crat, was elected ). and A. H. Reynolds.
The sheriff resigned on the 7th of Novem- ber. 1868, and on the same day James Mc- Auliff was appointed to fill the vacancy. . 1. H. Reynolds resigned as commissioner. in May. 1869. Dr. D. S. Baker leing appointed as his successor. Of the successful candidates noted in the above list, all were Democrats except P. B. Johnson, J. D. Cook. C. Eells. S. M. Wait and A. H. Reynolds.
THIE FIRST COURT HOUSE.
As the county dedicated its first court house in the year 1867. it is incumbent that we make a brief reference to the same at this juncture. As early as 1864. the grand jury had made a report on this matter, and from said document we make the following pertinent extracts : "We. the grand jury, find that it is the duty of the county commissioners to furnish offices for the different county officers. This we find they have not done. To-day the offices of the officers are in one place, to-morrow in another. and we hope at the next meeting of the board of county commissioners that they will. for the sake of the integrity of Walla Walla county, furnish the different county officers with good offices." Notwithstanding this merited re- proof, no action of a definite character was
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taken by the board of commissioners until the meeting of March II. 1867, when it was voted to purchase, of S. Linkton, a building on the corner of Alder and Third streets, the same to be paid for in thirty monthly installments of one hundred dollars each. A further expendi- ture of five hundred dollars was made in fitting 11' the building for the use of the county, and thus Walla Walla county was able to hold up a dignified head and note with approval her first court-house. That the structure was al- together unpretentious, and devoid of all archi- tectural beauty, it is, perhaps, needless to say. The executives of the county were at least pro- vided with a local habitation.
REVIEW OF THE YEAR 1868.
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Within this year began the first logical and active agitation of the transportation question, and this problem involved the future of Walla Walla county and city to a greater degree than any other. 6 Within the year an organized effort was made to provide for railroad facili- ties for shipping the products of the country to the markets of consumption. Philip Ritz, ap- preciative of the results of the experiments of the previous year, consigned fifty barrels of Hour to New York city, where he disposed of the same at the rate of ten dollars per barrel, netting him a profit of one dollar and fifty cents a barrel. This flour was the product of the old Phoenix mill. At the time, the cost of flour in Walla Walla was three dollars and seventy- five cents per barrel, and the transportation charges to New York, with commissions, ag- gregated four dollars and seventy cents a barrel. The cost of shipping wheat to San Francisco was too great to render it profitable to make shipments from Walla Walla, where the prod- uct commanded only forty cents per bushel,
and the same must be sold for one dollar and twenty cents per bushel in San Francisco in order to cover the expenses of shipment, made at the rate of twenty-eight dollars per ton, of which amount six dollars per ton represented the transportation charges between Walla Walla and Wallula.
Thus the project of constructing a railway line between these two points became the topic of much discussion and consideration. After several enthusiastic public meetings had been held, the business men of this section manifest- ing a live interest, the Walla Walla & Colum- bia River Railroad was organized. IIon. Al- van Flanders, the delegate in congress, secured from that body the right of way for the pro- posed line and also permission for the county to subscribe three hundred thousand dollars for the support of the enterprise, with the pro- vision that this should be done only upon sub- mitting the question to the electors of the coun- ty and securing a favorable result at the elec- tion. No definite progress was made in the matter for a term of several years, and the progress of the county was materially retarded on this account. A fuller description of the transportation facilities of the county, and the history of the various enterprises involved. may be found on other pages of this work.
A BRIEF RECORD OF THE YEAR 1869.
Again in this year was there to be chosen a delegate to congress, and the Democracy of Walla Walla county instructed their delegates to the territorial convention to insist upon the nomination of a candidate resident east of the Cascade range,-the same desideratum that had been sought at the last preceding election. In the convention F. P. Dugan, J. D. Mix. B. L. Sharpstein and W. H. Newell, of Walla Walla,
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were balloted for, but the nomination went to Marshall F. Moore, ex-governor of the terri- torv.
The Republican nomination was secured by Selucius Garfielde, surveyor-general of the ter- ritory. The names of two of Walla Walla county's citizens were presented 'before the convention, Dr. D. S. Baker and Anderson Cox. The nomination of Garfielde proved unsatisfactory to many of the party adherents, ard dissension was rampant. The disaffec- tion became so intense in nature that a num- ber of the most prominent men in the party ranks did not hesitate to append their signatures to a circular addressed to the "Downfallen Re- publican Party." said document bearing fifty signatures in all. On the list appeared the name of the delegate in congress and the chief justice of the territory. The circular called for a radical reorganization of the party, charged fraudulent action in the convention and made many sweeping assertions. This action provoked a strong protest, and the dis- affected contingent did not nominate a ticket of their own, and Mr. Garfielde was elected by a majority of one hundred and thirty-two. He received in Walla Walla county three hundred and eighty-four votes, while his op- ponent. Mr. Moore, received seven hundred and forty.
In the county election the Democrats elect- ed their entire ticket, by an average majority of three hundred. The county had at this time the privilege of electing six representa- tives to the lower house of the territorial legis- lature, which body had, in 1868, granted one more representative to the county. The re- sult of the election was as follows: Pros- ecuting attorney, A. J. Cain; representa- tives. N. T. Caton, Fred Stine, H. D. ()'Bryan, J. D. Mix, J. H. Lasater, Thomas
P. Page: probate judge, R. Guichard; sheriff. James McAuliff: auditor. H. M. Chase: treasurer. . \. Kyger; assessor, M. C. McBride: surveyor. J. AArrison: superin- tendent of schols. William McMicken; cor- oner. L. H. Goodwin: county commission- ers, W. T. Barnes, Daniel Stewart, C. C. Cram. The county gave two hundred and eighty-six votes in favor of a constitutional convention and only twenty-four in opposition.
CONDITIONS AND EVENTS OF THE YEAR.
The year 1869 found the Walla Walla valley in about the same status as the preced- ing year, though a severe drouth, extending over the entire coast country, had caused in this section a partial failure of crops, so that there was no surplus of grain or flour to ship out, save what was sent into the mining dis- tricts. Wheat brought from seventy-five to eighty cents per bushel. and flour reached as high a figure as six dollars per barrel. The increased prices made the returning revenue practically as great as the year before, not- withstanding shortage of crops.
As has been mentioned previously. the financial affairs of the county were badly in- volved at the time of the investigation inci- dentally made in 1863. and an indebtedness of from five to twenty thousand dollars had been in evidence continuously up to the year of which we are now writing. The last board of county commissioners realized that the finan- cial integrity of the county was in jeopardy, and they determined that of the officers of the county must be exacted a more careful and efficient discharge of their respective duties. while they also set vigorously to the task of placing the treasury department of the county upon a better basis-insisting that its business
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should be handled according to true business principles. The board were fortunately ena- bied to effect a radical improvement along the lines mentioned, the evidence of this being conclusive when we revert to the fact that on the Ist of May, 1869. the obligations of the county amounted to $9.569.13, while in the treasury the cash deposit was represented by $9.209.18. In view of the fact that the sheriff who resigned in November, 1868, was indebted to the county, according to the re- port of the board, to the amount of more than three thousand dollars, for delinquent taxes collected, the financial showing at this time was all the more creditable to the board and to the various county officials.
WAITSBURG'S AMBITION.
The now thriving town of Waitsburg be- gan to cast about for new dignities and honors, its ambition leading it to agitate the question of dividing Walla Walla county and giving to the town mentioned the coveted boon of being the official center of the new county. Walla Walla county at this time had an area of three thousand four hundred and twenty square miles, including what are Columbia and Garfield counties, and had the region been more thickly populated it would have been too large and unwieldy for effective official control and management. In regard to the claims of Waitsburg and the matter of erecting a new county from Walla Walla. Gilbert's history speaks as follows :
The seat of justice was in one corner far from the geographical center, though located in the midst of the most thickly settled district. Waitsburg at that time had a grist mill, saw mill, hotel, several stores and a good school. It was both enterprising and ambitious; and hav- ing no paper of its own, ventilated its opinions in the Walla Walla journals. Had the upper position of the county been settled as it was a few years later, a division
would have been desirable, but even in that event, Waits- burg was too near Walla Walla to become an acceptable county-seat, being necessarily located in the extreme corner of the proposed county. That this was true and that it would be but a few years before the seat of justice would be moved to another place in a more central loca- tion, were facts recognized by many of the business men of that village, nevertheless a petition was signed by one hundred and fifty residents, and was presented to the legislature in October, 1869, a delegation of citizens of the aspiring town accompanying it to Olympia. The county was to be divided so that about one-half the area and one- third the population and assessment valuation would be segregated. The fact that Waitsburg was not a natural center, together with the additional facts that no other existing town was, and the upper portion of the county was not thickly enough settled to demand a separate government, caused the legislature to decline to take any action in the matter. Waitsburg's dream of official honors was over, and the springing up of Dayton a few years later served to convince them that had they been conferred they would have been of a transitory character.
TIIE YEAR 1870 AND ITS RECORD.
This year in Walla Walla county was marked by no events or conditions of special importance. Favorable climatic conditions having prevailed, the harvests were bounteous again, and the surplus of grain and flour was so large as to justify large shipments of these products, much of the same being transported down the Columbia river. The transportation charges were so heavy, however, that the prices on the commodities in Walla Walla were exceedingly low, particularly in compar- ison with the prices ultimately paid at the various points of destination.
In the month of August the city council of Walla Walla deeded to the county commis- sioners the present courthouse square, on Main street, the same having been set aside for such purpose at the time the town was platted. The matter of erecting a courthouse had been under consideration, and not a little public interest was manifested in the question, The commissioners did not, as a matter of course, feel justified in making any expendi-
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tures of county funds or credit in this line un- covered at this time practically only one dec- til the county had secured a clear title to the ade, in view of which fact the people of the lo- cality had ample reason to congratulate them- selves on the showing made. land upon which the proposed building was to be erected. But when the deed to the land was finally in their possession the question of building the court house remained in statu POLITICAL AFFAIRS IN 1870. quo, the matter having been indefinitely post- poned by the commissioners.
A census of the county was taken in the year 1870, and certain data resulting there- from will be worthy of perpetuation in this connection. The number of houses in the county was placed at 1, 149; number of families. 1,150; white male inhabitants, 2,999: white female inhabitants, 2, 111 ; colored male inhab- itants, 111; colored female inhabitants, 81. According to these figures the total population of the county aggregated 5.102. The follow- ing statistics will indicate to a degree the condition of the county at the close of the year 1870, and is worthy of reproduc. tion :
.Average wages of farm hands, with board. $35.00: average wages of laborers, without board, $2.50; average wages of laborers, with board, $1.50: average wages of carpenters, $4.00 ; average wages of female domestics per week, $ ;. oo: average price of board for labor- er per week, $5.00; number of farms in conn- ty. 654: acres of improved land. 52.020: bushels of spring wheat. 190.256; bushels of winter wheat. 2,667; bushels of corn. 25.487; bushels of oats, 114,813: bushels of barley; 21.654; pounds of butter, 90.780; pounds of cheese. 1,000; ons of hay. 6.815 number of horses, 5.650: number of mules, 627: number of milch cows, 4.772: number of work oxen, 292: number of other cattle. 8.046; number of sheep. 5.745: number of hogs. 4.768.
It will be recalled that the history of growth and development in the county had
According to all data available, the polit- ical pot boiled furiously throughout the terri. tory as the hour of election approached. Lack of harmony was manifest in both parties, and, as before, the chief interest centered in the clection of a delegate to represent the territory in the federal congress. Those office-holders who were most vigorously protestent and vis- ibly disaffected, were summarily removed from office in January of this year, by the president of the United States, this action having been recommended by the congressional delegate. Mr. Garfielde, who thus drew upon himself still greater opposition and dislike. . \ change in the existing laws made it necessary to elect a delegate again this year, and a strong at- tempt was made to defeat Mr. Garfieldle, who was confident of being returned to the office, There could be no reconciliation of the war- ring elements in the Republican party. The Republican territorial convention of 1869 had appointed an executive committee, whose per- sonnel was as follows: Edward Eldridge, M. S. Drew. L. Farnsworth, P. D. Moore, B. F. Stone, Henry Cock and J. D. Cook. In Feb- ruary a circular was issued by Messrs. S. D. Howe. A. A. Manning, Ezra Meeker, G. ... Meigs, .A. A. Denny and John E. Burns, who claimed to have been constituted the ex- ecutive committee. The convention as called by the regular committee met in April and re- nominated Mr. Garfielde. The recalcitrant faction presented the name of Marshall Blinn in the convention, the bolters not being strong
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enough to hold a separate convention, but hoping to gain sufficient votes to prevent the nomination of Garfieldc.
The Democratic convention was far more harmonious, the nomination going to Judge J. D. Mix, one of the most honored citizens of Walla Walla, and one enjoying a wide ac- quaintance throughout the territory. The campaign developed considerable acrimony between the factions of the Republican party, but the results of the election showed that the disaffected wing gained but slight popular en- dorsement. Six thousand three hundred and fifty-seven votes were cast in this election, rep. resenting a gain of thirteen hundred over the preceding year. Garfielde was elected. secur- ing a majority of seven hundred and thirty-six over Mix, the total vote for Blinn being only one hundred and fifty-five. Upon the ques. tion of holding a constitutional convention there were one thousand one hundred and nine votes cast in opposition, and nine hundred and seventy-four in favor.
By reason of the change in the law the county election also was held a year earlier than usual, occurring June 6, 1870. The Democracy were victorious in the county, electing their entire ticket with the exception of superintendent of schools. For delegate James D. Mix received in his home county 670 votes, while Selucius Garfielde had 527. The officers elected in the county were as fol- lows: Prosecuting attorney, N. T. Caton; councilman, Daniel Stewart: joint council- man (Walla Walla. Stevens and Yakima coun- ties), N. T. Bryant; representatives, David Ashpaugh, James H. Lasater, John Scott, A. G. Lloyd, Elisha Ping and T. W. Whetstone ; probate judge. R. Guichard ; sheriff, James Mc- Auliff; auditor, H. M. Chase; treasurer, .1. Kyger; assessor, A. C. Wellman; surveyor, A.
H. Simmons (he was succeeded by Charles A. White, who was appointed to the office May 1, 1871) ; school superintendent, J. L. Reser ; coroner. L. H. Goodwin; county commission- ers, C. C. Cram, F. Louden and I. T. Reesc.
The officials elected in the county this year did not assume their respective positions until the succeeding year. The officers elected in the preceding year had been chosen for a term of two years, and they contended that the change in the law of the territory which made it necessary to hold the election in 1870. in- stead of 1871, did not invalidate their right to hold office until the expiration of their reg- ular term. The matter was brought into the courts for adjudication, a test case being made in the contest between the prosecuting attor. ney-elect against the incumbent of the office at the time of the last election. In July James W. Kennedy. judge of the first district, ren. dered a decision in favor of the defendant, holding that officers elected in 1869 retained their positions until 1871. thus reducing the term of the officials last elected to one year.
Oregon still cast covetous eyes upon the Walla Walla valley region, and in 1870 its legislature forwarded to congress another memorial, asking that there be annexed to Oregon such portion of Washington Terri- tory as lay south of the Snake river. The res- idents of the section indicated were not in- formed of the action until after the memorial had been presented to congress, and the prop- osition met with determined opposition here.
RAILROAD PROJECTS-TOWN OF DAYTON FOUNDED-1871-2.
The problem of transportation facilities still continued the one which had most potent significance as determining the further growth
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HISTORY OF WALLA WALLA COUNTY.
and permanent industrial prosperity of the county. In 1871 the matter of railroad facil- ities was taken under consideration in an earnest way, some action having been taken. but little having been accomplished in a prac- tical way. At this time the Northern Pacific Railroad Company made a proposition to sur- vey a route from Wallula to Walla Walla. contingent upon there being raised by the cit- izens of the county a subscription of two thou- sand dollars to assist in defraying the expenses of the survey. After the completion of the survey, in case the Northern Pacific decided not to build the road in accordance therewith, the plats and notes were to be turned over to the Walla Walla & Columbia River Railroad Company. The required subscription was raised. the survey was made, and a report and estimate of cost was given to the latter company in May, 1871, the Northern Pacific having deemed it expedient not to run its line to Walla Walla. A call for a special election, to vote on the question of subscription in county bonds, was called by the county com- missioners, but in view of the fact that it would be a needless expense to hold the elec- tion, the order was revoked. Later on they again called an election, under the act of Sep- tember 18, 1871, the former having been called under the act of 1869, but the proposi- tion to bond the county was adversely met at the polls. In March, 1872, the railroad com- pany began work at Wallula, grading several miles of the road within that year. . \ rail- road from Walla Walla to La Grande was surveyed as far as Umatilla, when the proj- eet was abandoned.
In the fall of 1871 S. M. Wait and Will- iam Matzger had begun the erection of a large flouring mill on the Touchet river, near the mouth of the Patit, and this served as the
nucleus of a town, which began to blossom forth in the spring of 1872, and grew so rap- idly that. by fall it had a population of five hundred people, with facilities in accordance. This town was Dayton, the present county- seat of Columbia county.
The Republican territorial convention of 1872 again nominated Mr. Garfielde for dele- gate to congress, the Democrats and Liberals placing the name of O. B. McFadden on their ticket, he being the candidate of the Democ- racy, who had coalesced with the Liberals, this being the year of the memorable "green- back" campaign in national politics. Mr. McFadden was elected by a majority nearly as great as Mr. Garfielde had received two years before. The holding of a constitutional convention was again voted on and defeated, Walla Walla county giving an adverse ma- jority of seven hundred and fifty-two on the proposition. In the county election there were three candidates for some offices, and four for that of auditor. The Democrats elected their ticket. with the exception of one commissioner. At this election also the peo- ple of the county voted in favor of the erec- tion of a county court-house and jail, the ma- jority in favor being two hundred and twelve. The officers elected in the county were as follows: Prosecuting attorney, T. J. Anders : councilman, Fred Stine: joint councilman ( Walla Walla, Stevens, Yakima and Whitman counties ). C. H. Montgomery; representa- tives. N. T. Caton, O. P. Lacy, E. Ping, C. L. Bush, John Bryant and H. M. Hodgis; probate judge. I. Hargrove: sheriff. B. W. Griffin; auditor, R. Jacobs; treasurer, R. R. Rees : assessor, William F. Gwynn : surveyor, A. L. Knowlton : school superintendent, A. W. Sweeney: coroner. A. J. Thibodo; county commissioners, D. M. Jessee. W. P. Bruce
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