History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I, Part 35

Author: Lyman, William Denison, 1852-1920
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: [Chicago] S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1134

USA > Washington > Benton County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I > Part 35
USA > Washington > Kittitas County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I > Part 35
USA > Washington > Yakima County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I > Part 35

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The election of 1874 was signalized by a "bolt" and hence possessed more than ordinary interest. The bolt was in the republican ranks in respect to the office of auditor. H. M. Benton was the "regular" nominee, and Edward Whit- son became an opposition candidate under a party called the "people's party." This was the first entrance into politics of Edward Whitson, who then began his long and distinguished career as a lawyer and jurist, culminating in the Federal judgeship for the Eastern district of Washington.

The results of the election of 1874 were as follows: Delegate to Congress, Orange Jacobs, republican, 203, to 82 for B. L. Sharpstein, democrat ; joint councilman, B. F. Shaw, democrat, 127, to 84 for S. McDonald; joint represen- tative, C. P. Cooke, democrat, 186, to 100 for D. J. Schnebly, republican ; attor- ney, J. V. Odell, democrat, 129, to 109 for T. J. Anders, republican ; commis- sioners, Charles Walker and P. J. Flint, democrats, and J. B. Dickerson, repub- lican, elected; sheriff, William Lewis, republican, chosen over L. L. Thorp, democrat ; assessor, J. J. Burch, democrat ; treasurer, E. P. Boyls, democrat, over T. McAusland, republican ; auditor (and here was the crucial point of the election), Edward Whitson of the people's party, 179, to 109 for H. M. Ben-

FRUIT TREES OF THE YAKIMA VALLEY

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ton, republican; school superintendent, J. O. Clark, republican, chosen over T. S. Meade, democrat ; J. R. Filkin for probate judge on the democratic ticket was chosen over J. W. Stevenson of the people's party and J. B. Nelson of the republicans ; coroner J. W. Allen, republican ; surveyor, C. A. Wilcox, demo- crat ; both the last without opposition. The inevitable vote on constitutional convention was taken, with a scanty number, 22 for and 41 against.

ELECTION OF 1876.

The election of 1876 showed the following results: For delegate to Con- gress, Orange Jacobs, republican, received 169 to 109 for his democratic oppo- nent, J. P. Judson; for joint councilman, Levi Farnsworth, republican, re- ceived an overwhelming majority; for joint representative, Edward Whitson, republican, had 133 to 114 for S. T. Sterling, democrat, and 22 for T. B. Barnes; for commissioners, J. P. Sharp, Samuel Chappell, J. J. Lewis, repub- licans, and David Longmire, democrat, were chosen; sheriff, J. K. Milligan, independent, was chosen over J. J. Burch, democrat, and George Carpenter, republican ; for auditor, J. W. Masters, republican, was chosen ; treasurer, A. J. Pratt was the successful candidate ; James Kesling, republican, chosen for pro- bate judge ; for school superintendent, J. P. Marks, republican ; surveyor, C. A. Wilcox, democrat ; coroner, J. W. Allen, republican. There was a remarkable change in the vote for constitutional convention this year, being 44 yes, 1 no.

The election of 1878 might be considered a quiet one. There was a steady growth and no "burning" local issue.

The results of the election were these: Delegate to Congress, Thomas H. Brents, republican, 212, N. T. Caton, democrat, 208; joint councilman, R. O. Dunbar, republican, 209, to 201 for Hiram Dustin, democrat ; joint representa- tive, Levi Farnsworth, republican, 222, to 183 for C. P. Cooke, democrat ; attor- ney, W. G. Langford, republican, 220, to 192 for R. F. Sturdevant, democrat ; other successful candidates were: L. H. Brooks, probate judge ; J. W. Masters, auditor; sheriff and assessor (one officer performing both duties), F. D. Schnebly ; David Longmire, A. A. Meade and A. J. McDaniel for commission- ers ; treasurer, A. J. Pratt ; G. W. Parrish, school superintendent ; A. J. McKin- ney for coroner ; Levi Farnsworth, surveyor; on constitutional convention, 210 for and 90 against.

The rapid growth of the valley showed itself in the election of 1880. The vote for Congressional delegates showed an increase over 1878 from 420 to 595. For delegate, Thomas H. Brents was reelected by 311 to 284 for Thomas Burke, his democratic opponent. The results of the election to other positions were as follows : For joint councilman, J. W. Greden, republican, 308, to 270 for William Bigham, democrat ; representative, George S. Taylor, democrat, 315, to 259 for J. A. Shoudy, republican ; attorney, D. P. Ballard, republican, 332, to 234 for E. P. Boyls, democrat : local candidates chosen : L. H. Brooks, probate judge ; S. T. Munson, auditor ; F. D. Schnebly, sheriff and assessor; G. J. Gervais, treasurer ; W. G. Douglass, Robert Dunn, and A. J. McDaniel for commission- ers; W. H. Peterson, school superintendent; I. A. Navarre, surveyor; M. Beeker, sheep commissioner ; and C. J. Taft, coroner. Of the above local offi- cers, Messrs. Brooks, Schnebly, Gervais, McDaniel and Peterson were demo-

(19)

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crats, while Messrs. Munson, Douglass, Dunn, Navarre, Beeker, and Taft were republicans.

At their meeting of August 9, 1882, the commissioners laid out three com- missioner districts, of which the first embraced the central and older portion from Union Gap and including the Ahtanum, Cowiche, Naches and Wenas valleys to its eastern boundary on the Yakima River, the second included the Umptanum and Kittitas regions and eastward to the Columbia River, while the third embraced the remaining sections; i. e., the southern and southeastern parts. In 1882 also, the county was divided into twelve precincts with voting places as follows: The Horn at James Baxter's residence, Parker at the school- house, Yakima City at the courthouse, Cowiche at the schoolhouse, Ahtanum at the Marks schoolhouse, Wenas at the schoolhouse, West Kittitas at the Pack- wood schoolhouse, East Kittitas at Ellensburg, Peshastin at Lockwood and Cooper's, Simcoe at the agency, Alder Creek at the Beckner schoolhouse, Moxee at Charles Splawn's house.

In the election of 1882 the inevitable question of county division came to the front. It is a little singular that any of the residents of so huge a county as Yakima before division could have expected to defer division for any length of time. But apparently the prospect of division is always distasteful to. the older sections of a county and especially to the county seat. The struggle for the division of Yakima came in such a form as to make opposition at the county seat inevitable. A movement arose at Ellensburg and in the Kittitas Valley to move the county seat to that place or else to force a division of the county. In fact the election of 1880 had turned largely on that issue and the vote, 315, by which Taylor, a democrat, for the legislature, had defeated Shoudy, a republican, with 259, represented about the relative strength of the two sec- tions on the county question. Shoudy was the father of Ellensburg, and the fear that, if he were in the legislature, he would put through an act providing for removal of the county seat, caused a good many republicans in the Yakima City section to vote for the democratic candidate. Their fears were well founded, for in the election of 1882, Shoudy and Taylor ran for the legislature again on the same issue, and this time all the democrats in the Kittitas voted for Shoudy, with the result that he was elected, and by a curious coincidence he had precisely the same majority, fifty-six, which Taylor had in 1880. Shoudy put into immediate execution the purpose for which he was supposed to be running, and in 1883, Kittitas County was cut off from Yakima. We shall give further details of this event in the chapter on Kittitas County. The delegate chosen to Congress in 1882 was the republican, Thomas H. Brents, by a vote of 478 to 301 for Thomas Burke, the democrat. The county officers chosen were J. W. Masters, David Murray, and S. R. Geddis, all republicans, for commis- sioners ; J. J. Taylor, sheriff and assessor ; J. A. Splawn, treasurer ; I. A. Navarre, .. probate judge; S. T. Munson, auditor ; T. H. Look, surveyor ; A. D. Eglin, sheep commissioner. All were republicans except Mr. Splawn.

ELECTION OF 1884.

The election of 1884 was a strenuous one. That was the year of the com- pletion of the Northern Pacific Railroad to Yakima. The railroad was many

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years behind the time allotted for earning the immense land grant extending from St. Paul to Tacoma. Agitation for cancellation of that vast land subsidy had spread across the entire line of road. Furthermore there arose a burning question of local interest. That was the question of moving Yakima City to a new site a few miles north. This last question was not fully uncovered till the next year, but it was on the boards. These questions made a hot election in the fall of 1884. An anti-monopoly party sprung into being, led by one of the brightest men ever known in Yakima, J. M. Adams, editor of the Yakima Signal. The anti-monopoly republicans and democrats joined in the nomination of Charles Voorhees as candidate for Congress on a platform demanding can- cellation of the unearned portion of the railroad land grant. There was a vote of 41,858 for delegate in the Territory, but nearly a fourth were supposed to be cast by women, for the temporary Woman Suffrage law of the Territory had gone into effect. Voorhees received a majority in the Territory of 248 over Armstrong, the republican candidate. This result may be considered as in some degree marking the beginning of that great wave of anti-railroad legislation which was destined to sweep the country in subsequent years and materially affect our entire economic policies. The Territory was normally strongly repub- lican, and the election of a democrat was a plain notice to the republicans that they were catering too much to corporate interests. There are those at the present day who think that this popular movement against railroads has gone altogether too far. When, however, the student of history surveys the shame- less lobbying of the railway managers, the stupendous legislative favors and subsidies secured by them, and the yet vaster ones sought, he is constrained to decide that if the railroads have had a hard deal they brought it on themselves and deserved it all.

In Yakima County Voorhees received 582 votes to 448 for Armstrong. J. B. Reavis of Yakima was chosen joint councilman, C. P. Cooke of Kittitas was chosen joint representative. Both were democrats. The local officers chosen were as follows: Hiram Dustin attorney, J. J. Tyler sheriff, S. T. Munson auditor, J. A. Splawn treasurer, L. H. Brooks probate judge, W. F. Jones school superintendent, C. F. Reardon surveyor, J. M. Young, P. J. Flint and L. N. Rice, commissioners. John Cowan was appointed sheep commis- sioner, in the absence of an elected incumbent.

The year 1886 saw the settlement of the bitterly contested question of the removal of the county seat from Yakima City to North Yakima. The legisla- ture of January of that year passed an act providing for the removal. This question of removal, involving so much strife, and having legal as well as busi- ness and political complications, belongs rather to the history of the city, and the topic will be considered in the chapter on city history.

The election of 1886 resulted in the reelection of Charles Voorhees to Con- gress by an increased vote. His vote in Yakima county was 667 to 359 for C. M. Bradshaw, the republican candidate. C. P. Cooke, democrat, was chosen joint councilman over S. A. Wells, republican, by 633 to 386. G. W. Goodwin, democrat, was chosen representative by 590 to 405 for T. J. Clarke, but Mr. Clarke had the majority in the district. One of the most prominent of Yakima's citizens in law and politics began his official career in that election by choice to

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the position of attorney. This was H. J. Snively, a democrat. Another of the leaders of enterprise appears for the first time on the official roll. This was Daniel Lesh, republican, chosen for sheriff. Yet another of the builders makes his entry here. This was W. F. Prosser for auditor. The other local officers chosen were : J. A. Splawn treasurer, S. C. Morford probate judge, Mrs. M. B. Curtis school superintendent, J. A. Leach surveyor, Thomas McAusland coro- ner, W. H. Lipstrap, J. A. Stephenson and F. K. Beard, commissioners. A special election held in June, 1886, to vote on the question of local prohibition of the liquor traffic resulted in a large affirmative vote in Yakima County.

ELECTION OF 1888.

The election of 1888 was marked by something of a reaction in both na- tional and local affairs. The "protection" interests came back and elected a high tariff group as a protest against the supposed free trade tendencies of Cleveland's first administration. As part of the same movement the strenuous anti-monopoly delegate to Congress from this state, Charles Voorhees, was defeated by John B. Allen, republican, by a vote in Yakima County of 461 to 398. Mr. Allen was a resident of Yakima City for a short time, being in the law firm of Whitson, Allen and Parker, whose office was in the First National Bank Building in North Yakima. Mr. Allen had removed to Walla Walla though still a member of the firm and was a resident of that city at the time of his first election as delegate. With that election he began his distinguished career which went on from that of delegate to senator. The joint councilman (joint with Klickitat County) was J. M. Snow, republican, chosen by 439 votes over Clay Fruit, democrat, with 408. Representative was I. N. Power, repub- lican, with 398 against Daniel Gaby, democrat, with 352, and John W. Brice, independent, with 158. There were prohibitionist and independent candidates throughout both state and county tickets. The local choices in 1888 were as follows: H. J. Snively attorney, D. W. Stair probate judge, D. E. Lesh sheriff, Matthew Bartholet auditor, G. W. Cary treasurer, James Hall surveyor, Hilda Engdahl school superintendent, Walter Griffith sheep commissioner, J. O. Clark coroner, John Cleman, H. D. Winchester and J. M. Brown commissioners. Of the above Messrs. Snively, Bartholet, Cary and Miss Engdahl were democrats, the others were republicans.

And now comes the great year of 1889, the year of statehood. All the counties and communities of the Territory were agog with excitement over the great change of political status. After the persistent efforts of twenty years the slow-focusing attention of Congress had been fixed on this and several other Territories as ripe for mature political life. There had been sundry earlier attempts to induct Washington into the Union with some changes of boundary. One favorite idea, which has been agitated from time to tinte since, was to join northern Idaho to Washington, or to make a new state of eastern Washington and northern Idaho, or still again to effect some new groupings of eastern Ore- gon, eastern Washington and different sections of Idaho. The "Spokesman- Review" of Spokane made quite an agitation in that line in about 1905 and 1906. But all such schemes have been quiescent for more than a decade.

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To turn back in time again we notice that in the congressional session of 1877-78, Delegate Orange Jacobs presented a bill for introducing Washington to statehood with the three counties of northern Idaho added. But no action was taken by Congress. In spite of that the Territorial Legislature in Novem- ber, 1877, passed a law providing for an election to be held April 9, 1878, to choose delegates to a convention to meet at Walla Walla on June 11, 1878. Up to that time, as we have seen, repeated attempts to secure a vote for a conven- tion had failed in Walla Walla. The act of the legislature provided that the convention should consist of fifteen members from Washington with one, hav- ing no vote, from Idaho.

In pursuance of the announcement the election was duly held, though with the scanty vote of 4,223, not half the number of voters in the Territory. The convention duly met at Science Hall in Walla Walla, and W. A. George of that city, one of the leading lawyers as well as one of the most unique characters of the Inland Empire, acted as temporary chairman.

The permanent organization consisted of A. S. Abernethy of Cowlitz County as president, W. B. Daniels and William Clark as secretaries, and H. D. Cook as sergeant-at-arms. After a lengthy session the convention submitted a constitution which was voted upon at the next general election in November. Though a considerable majority was secured, exactly two-thirds, the total vote of 9,693 fell considerably short of the vote cast for delegate, and it seems to have been generally interpreted in Congress as evidence that the people of the Territory did not consider the time ripe for statehood. The whole matter was therefore indefinitely postponed. But the immense growth of the Territory in the decade of the eighties made it clear that the time for admission had arrived.

The Enabling Act of Congress, approved by President Harrison on Feb- ruary 22, 1889, had the unique distinction of being the only one providing for the erection of four states at once. These were Washington, South Dakota, : North Dakota and Montana. As indicating the fundamental basis on which the four states rest, the reader will be interested in the following provisions of the enabling act :

"And said conventions shall provide by ordinances irrevocable without the consent of the United States and the people of said states :

"FIRST. That perfect toleration of religious sentiment shall be secured, and that no inhabitant of said states shall ever be molested in person or prop- erty on account of his or her mode of religious worship.

"SECOND. That the people inhabiting said proposed states do agree and declare that they forever disclaim all right and title to the unappropriated public lands lying within the boundaries thereof, and to all lands lying within said limits owned or held by any Indian or Indian tribes; and that until the title thereto shall have been extinguished by the United States, the same shall be and remain subject to the disposition of the United States, and said Indian lands shall remain under the absolute jurisdiction and control of the Congress of the United States; that the lands belonging to citizens of the United States residing without the said state shall never be taxed at a higher rate than the lands belonging to residents thereof ; that no taxes shall be imposed by the states

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on lands or property therein belonging to or which may hereafter be purchased by the United States or reserved for its use. But nothing herein, or in the ordi- nances herein provided for, shall preclude the said states from taxing as other lands are taxed, any lands owned or held by any Indian who has severed his tribal relations, and has obtained from the United States or from any person a title thereto by patent or other grant, save and except such lands as have been or may be granted to any Indian or Indians under any act of Congress contain- ing a provision exempting the lands thus granted from taxation ; but said ordi- nances shall provide that all such lands shall be exempt from taxation by said states so long and to such extent as such act of Congress may prescribe.

"THIRD. That the debts and liabilities of said territories shall be assumed and paid by said states respectively.

"FOURTH. That provision shall be made for the establishment and maintenance of systems of public schools, which shall be open to all the children of said states and free from sectarian control."

In accordance with the enabling act, the constitutional convention of Wash- ington Territory met at Olympia, July 4, 1889. The constitution prepared dur- ing the fifty-day session was ratified at the polls on October 1, 1889. The mem- bers of the constitutional convention from the Yakima Valley were as follows : From Kittitas, J. A. Shoudy and Austin Mires of Ellensburg, republicans, and J. T. McDonald, democrat; from Yakima, J. T. Eshelman, democrat, and W. F. Prosser, republican.

The proclamation of President Harrison making known the formal en- trance of Washington into statehood possesses permanent interest and we in- clude it here :

"Whereas, the Congress of the United States did by an act approved on the twenty-second day of February, one thousand eight hundred and eighty- nine, provide that the inhabitants of the territory of Washington might, upon the conditions prescribed in said act, become the state of Washington ;

"And whereas, it was provided by said act that delegates elected as therein provided, to a constitutional convention in the territory of Washington, should meet at the seat of government of said territory; and that, after they had met and organized they should declare on behalf of the people of Washington that they adopt the constitution of the United States: whereupon the said conven- tion should be authorized to form a state government for the proposed state of Washington ;

"And whereas, it was provided by said act that the constitution so adopted should be republican in form and make no distinction in civil or political rights on account of race or color, except as to Indians not taxed, and not be repug- nant to the constitution of the United States and the principles of the declara- tion of independence; and that the convention should by an ordinance irre- vocable without the consent of the United States and the people of said state make certain provisions prescribed in said act ;

"And whereas, it was provided by said act that the constitution thus formed for the people of Washington should, by an ordinance of the convention form- ing the same, be submitted to the people of Washington at an election to be held therein on the first Tuesday in October, eighteen hundred and eighty-nine,

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for ratification or rejection by the qualified voters of said proposed state; and that the returns of said election should be made to the secretary of said terri- tory, who, with the governor and chief justice thereof, or any two of them, should canvass the same; and if a majority of the legal votes cast should be for the constitution, the governor should certify the result to the president of the United States, together with a statement of the votes cast thereon, and upon separate articles or propositions, and a copy of said constitution, articles, propo- sitions and ordinances ;

"And whereas, it has been certified to me by the governor of said territory that within the time prescribed by said act of Congress a constitution for the proposed state of Washington has been adopted and that the same has been ratified by a majority of the qualified voters of said proposed state in accord- ance with the conditions prescribed in said act ;

"And whereas, it is also certified to me by the said governor that at the same time the body of said constitution was submitted to a vote of the people two separate articles entitled 'Woman Suffrage' and 'Prohibition' were likewise submitted, which said separate articles did not receive a majority of the votes cast thereon or upon the constitution and were rejected; also that at the same election the question of the location of a permanent seat of government was so submitted and that no place received a majority of all the votes cast upon said question ;

"And whereas, a duly authenticated copy of said constitution and articles, as required by said act, has been received by me ;

"Now, therefore, I, Benjamin Harrison, president of the United States of America, do, in accordance with the provisions of the act of Congress afore- said, declare and proclaim the fact that the conditions imposed by Congress on the state of Washington to entitle that state to admission to the union have been ratified and accepted and that the admission of the said state into the union is now complete.

"In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

"Done at the city of Washington this eleventh (11th) day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine, and of the independence of the United States of America the one hundred and fourteenth.

[SEAL]

BENJ. HARRISON.

By the president :

JAMES G. BLAINE, Secretary of State."

The constitution provided that a special election be held on the first Tues- day of October, 1889, to vote upon the adoption of the constitution and also to choose the officers provided for under it. The legislative apportionment for that election assigned one representative to Yakima County and one senator to the ninth district composed of Yakima and Douglas counties. Kittitas County had two representatives and one senator. It will surprise some of our readers to know that Kittitas County had a larger population than Yakima. The census of 1890 gives 4,429 in Yakima County, and 8,777 in Kittitas. Some territory belonged to Kittitas in 1889 and 1890 which was in Okanogan County in 1892,

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History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I, Part 35

Author: Lyman, William Denison, 1852-1920 Publication date: 1919 Publisher: [Chicago] S.J. Clarke Number of Pages: 1134

Author: Lyman, William Denison, 1852-1920
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: [Chicago] S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1134