USA > Washington > Spokane County > Spokane > History of the city of Spokane and Spokane County, Washington : from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume I > Part 67
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SPOKANE AND THE INLAND EMPIRE
parent several weeks before the primaries that Poindexter was the strongest indi- vidual contestant, and after repeated efforts by the opposition to concentrate the reactionary forces, Mr. Wilson withdrew and advised his supporters to vote for Burke. Poindexter won a victory whose proportions surprised even his most ardent supporters. At home he was given eighty per cent of the republican vote of Spo- kane county. He defeated Burke in King county by 5,000 plurality, and led Ashton in Tacoma and Pieree county. In the state he had a plurality of 30.000. The result was so staggering that all talk of legislative disregard of the popular verdict was silenced, and when the legislature convened in January it promptly ratified the vote at the primaries.
In the Third congressional district W. L. La Follette of Pullman, also progressive, defeated Seabury Merritt, C. H. Braden, S. A. Mann and E. A. Veatch.
At the election in November the state went republican by a normal majority and elected a legislature overwhelmingly republican and pledged to vote for Poindexter for senator. The equal suffragists won a brilliant victory in the adoption, by a large majority, of a constitutional amendment granting the ballot to women. La- Follette was elected to congress by a vote of more than two to one over his demo- cratic opponent, H. D. Merritt. In Spokane county the republicans elected a solid legislative delegation, and their county ticket with the exception of sheriff, prosent- ing attorney, clerk and one commissioner. The results in the county:
Superior judge-J. Stanley Webster.
State senators-Harry Rosenhaupt and George W. Shaefer.
Representatives-R. E. Buchanan, W. E. Stephens, George L. Denman, Dal- bert E. Twitchell, Clyde Miller, A. M. Stevens, Lloyd E. Gandy, Guy B. Groff, E. H. Eshelman and H. H. Phipps.
Sheriff-George E. Stone.
Clerk Glenn B. Derbyshire.
Anditor-Robert W. Butler.
Treasurer-Zach. Stewart.
Prosecuting attorney-John L. Wiley.
Assessor- Glen B. Creighton.
Superintendent of schools-F. V. Yeager.
Engineer- C. L. Graves.
Coroner- H. E. Schlegle.
Commissioners -- Allen R. Scott ( Rep.), Warner Cobb (Dem.). The death of Mr. Cobb in 1911 created a vacancy that was filled by the appointment of H. W. Collins.
Spokane had this year the distinction of entertaining the International Dry Farm- ing Congress, which assembled in the Armory October 3. Funds for this conven- tion. as also for the National Irrigation congress in 1909. were raised by the Greater Spokane committee working under the direction of the chamber of commerce. A local board of control. D. T. Ham, chairman, planned a most successful program of entertainment. At the opening telegrams were read from President Taft and ex- President Roosevelt. Governor M. E. Hay, Mayor N. S. Pratt and President C. M. Fassett of the chamber of commerce welcomed the visitors. Foreign delegates were in attendance from Chile. Hungary, Mexico, Great Britain, Canada. Brazil, Germany, Russia, France and Australia.
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SPOKANE AND THE INLAND EMPIRE
The federal eensus, taken in June, gave Spokane 101,102 population, in com- parison with 36,848, in 1900, and 19,922 in 1890.
Construetively 1910 was a quiet year. In June the Paeifie Telephone & Tele- graph company bought ground at the corner of Second avenue and Stevens street, and began the erection of eight stories of what ultimately will become a twelve story, steel frame, modern office building for the company's requirements.
December 1 the Washington Water Power company opened its new transmis- sion line between Spokane and the power station at Little Falls, twenty-eight miles down the Spokane river. The line is carried by 197 steel towers, from 60 to 70 feet high and set about 750 feet apart, and is capable of transmitting 40,000 horse power of current. Late in 1910 the company started preliminary work on a vast power plant twenty-three miles west of Spokane and five miles east of its Little Falls plant. President D. L. Huntington stated that the new plant would develop 70.000 horse power, twice the capacity of the Little Falls station.
The new American theater, Post street and Front avenue, was opened Christ- mas day by the Del S. Lawrenee stock company.
CHAPTER LXVIII
COMMISSION FORM OF GOVERNMENT ADOPTED
PEOPLE GROW WEARY OF FUTILE ATTEMPTS TO PATCH UP THE OLD CHARTER- STUDY THE COMMISSION PLAN-MAYOR PRATT NAMES A COMMITTEE TO FRAME NEW CILAR- TER-CITIZENS DEMAND AN ELECTION-COUNCIL TRIES DILATORY TACTICS, BUT YIELDS UNDER PRESSURE-FIFTEEN FREEHOLDERS CHOSEN-CITIZENS VOTE FOR ITS PLAN OF COMMISSION GOVERNMENT-THE OPPOSITION TICKET-NEW CHARTER IS ADOPTED FIVE COMMISSIONERS ELECTED FROM A FIELD OF NINETY-THREE CANDIDATES-NEW GOVERNMENT INSTALLED.
T WENTY years' trial of their old city charter, with repeated attempt to bolster up its general scheme by amendment and revision, drove into the voters' minds a conviction that it was unsuited to a growing city's needs. In general outline it was modeled after the national government, with an involved system of checks and balances, leading to interminable clashing of authority be- tween mayor and eonneil, eouneil and commissioners, and commissioners, mayor and the various departments. The people found it difficult, and at times impossi- ble. to fix responsibility, and finally gave up the effort and turned their attention to a study of the new and rapidly rising commission form of government. Gordon C. Corbaley. Adolph Munter and Mayor N. S. Pratt were pioneers in this field of investigation.
In November. 1909, Mayor Pratt appointed. as a citizens' committee to frame a proposed charter for a commission form of government, Dr. E. D. Olmsted, chairman, J. M. Geraghty, Gordon C. Corbaley. J. Grier Long, H. D. Merritt, John E. Blair, B. R. Ostrander. W. W. Tolman, Fred. E. Baldwin, D. C. Coates, Thomas H. Brewer. N. J. Laumer. F. P. Greene, Frank H. Walker, F. T. Post, Jacob Schiller and Zach Stewart. The committee met and delegated the drafting of a preliminary instrument to Messrs Corbaley. Schiller, Post, Stewart and Long. The work of this committee was chiefly of an educational nature, and it rendered valuable service.
Early in the summer of 1910 petitions were circulated and extensively signed, requiring the council to eall an election of fifteen freeholders to draft a new charter. At the conneil meeting June 28, a report by the city clerk showed that these peti- tions contained 5,103 names, of which 2,302 had registered in 1909; that 94 were duplicates; that three of the petitioners resided outside the city; and that 3,600 names were 25 per cent of the total vote cast at the last city election and were necessary to call a special election.
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SPOKANE AND THE INLAND EMPIRE
Councilman R. Dalke moved that as the city had set aside no money for a special election, and the petition, in the opinion of the council fell short of the necessary number of signers, no election be held, but that the matter be submitted to the voters at the regular election in the spring of 1911. The motion carried. Nelson, Funk and Cartwright voting no.
This action aroused a spirit of indignation, and the charter revision forces. led by Adolph Munter, pointed out that the council's attitude was contrary to state law, as the supreme court had held that registration was not a test of qualification, but that residence in the state of one year and in the precinct thirty days made a citizen a qualified voter. Notice was served upon the council that if it continued to disregard the will of the people, 2,000 or more voters would be called into court on mandamus proceedings, to testify, at an expense to the city of $2.50 each, that they were qualified voters. The council yielded.
As their ticket of fifteen, the original commission forces advanced John E. Blair, Thomas H. Brewer, W. A. Clift. D. C. Coates, Gordon C. Corbaley, Samuel Evans, C. M. Fassett, H. A. Jarvis, G. Grier Long, O. B. Nelson, E. D. Olmsted. B. R. Ostrander. H. M. Stephens, Zack. Stewart and Frank H. Walker.
In the judgment of many conservative citizens, who represented extensive property interests, a number of the foregoing nominees, who were styled "the Munter ticket." were inclined towards a spirit of radical innovation. Accordingly they put forward an opposition ticket of twenty-one, fifteen to be elected. On this ticket of twenty-one were S. A. Anderson, Dr. T. L. Catterson, C. F. Clough, J. M. Comstock, F. R. Culbertson, A. W. Doland, Frank J. Dorsey, E. P. Galbraith, James M. Geraghty, Will G. Graves, W. C. Gray, F. B. Grinnell, A. E. House, R. A. Hutchinson, N. J. Laumer, Gus Meese, Fred. Phair, D. Ryric, W. J. Sul- Jivan, E. J. Tamblin and W. J. C. Wakefield.
The so-called Munter ticket, vigorously supported by the Spokesman-Review, was elected. Jarvis, who received the lowest vote on this ticket, polled 4,071 as against 3,755 for J. M. Comstock, the highest candidate on the opposition ticket.
Of the fifteen charter commissioners thus clected. nine had served on the origi- nal commission appointed by Mayor Pratt namely Blair, Brewer, Coates, Corbalcy, Long. Olmsted, Ostrander, Stewart and Walker. Blair was a lawyer, and had served as assistant corporation counsel; Brewer was vice-president of the Ex- change National bank ; Clift was business agent of the Federal labor union: D. C. Coates was a printer and one of the publishers of the Labor Journal; Corbaley was in the real-estate business; Evans was a member of the carpenters' union : Fassett was president of the chamber of commerce; Jarvis president of the central trades and labor council; Long vice-president of the Washington Trust company; Nelson was a merchant; Olmsted a physician and former mayor; Ostrander a business man and former councilman ; Stephens an attorney ; Zach. Stewart county treasurer and F. II. Walker a printer and leader in the ranks of organized lahor.
The commission promptly entered on its arduous labors. Its meetings. held at the public library, were open to the public, and the proceedings were fully reported in the press. It submitted the proposed charter to the city council November 11, and that body accepted it and set December 27 as the date for its submission to the voters. The new charter was adopted by a vote of 6.350 to 1,113. Excepting
ROBERT FAIRLEY
C. M. FASSETT
W. J. HINDLEY
Z. E. HAYDEN
D. C. COATES
SPOKANE'S FIRST COMMISSION
THE RK PUBLIC INARY
A JA Ł OX
6 IV IVATIONS
LIBRARY
M. LENOX LIGUNDATIONS
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SPOKANE AND THE INLAND EMPIRE
the Second, which returned an adverse majority of forty-four, all the wards gave it approval by majorities ranging from 164 to 736.
Under the charter thus adopted, "all power of the eity, unless otherwise pro- vided. shall be exercised by, through and under the direction of five commissioners, who shall constitute the council and one of whom shall be the mayor. The commis- sioners and council shall be subject to the control and direction of the people at all times, by the initiative, referendum and recall provided for in the charter."
The five commissioners are the only cleetive officers in the city government, all others holding office through appointment by the commissioners, whose terms are fixed at four years. General municipal elections are to be held every two years, "and at each alternative election two or three commissioners, respectively, shall be elected." Of the five chosen at the first election, the three who received the highest votes are to hold office until the second seeular day of January, 1916, and the other two until the second secular day of January, 1914. The salary of the commis- sioners was fixed at $5,000 per annum.
In voting for commissioners the elector is given an opportunity to express first, second and third choice. He is required to vote first choice for as many places as are to be filled. He may (but it is not obligatory) vote second choice for as many places as are to be filled, no more, no less. He may (but it is not obligatory ) vote third choice for all other candidates whom he may wish to support.
At the election March 7 ninety-three candidates had qualified in the contest for the election of five commissioners. The voter, therefore, was required to vote for five for his first choice. If he passed then to a second choice, it was obligatory that he vote for five. He then had the privilege of voting third choice for one or more of the remaining names on the ballot.
Robert Fairley, W. J. Hindley, C. M. Fassett, D. C. Coates and Z. E. Hayden were elected-Fairley, Fassett and Hindley winning the five-year terms. Appended is the detailed vote of those candidates who received 4,000 votes or more:
tst Choice 2d Choice 3d Choice
Total
Robert Fairley
12,779
1.692
517
15,018
W. J. Hlindley
7,513
1,755
628
9,896
C. M. Fassett.
6,284
1,815
459
8,558
D. C. Coates
6,272
861
392
7,525
Z. E. Hayden
1,260
2,100
734
7,394
M. J. Luby.
1,301
2,170
825
7,299
S. A. Anderson
1.66t
1,731
617
7,012
J. Grier Long.
3,891
2.099
703
6,693
N. W. Durhamı
1,601
1.552
491
6,650
W. J. Doust ?.
2,752
2,544
1,169
6,165
Leonard Funk"
4,007
1,523
561
6,09 +
F. M. Goodwin
3.213
1.753
7,22
5,718
N. S. Pratt
3,365
1.587
651
5,603
B. R. Ostrander
1,919
1,913
873
1,705
C. G. Hubbard
2.261
1,231
871
1,369
W. A. Clift 2.758, Hal. J. Cole 3,768, Thomas D. Gamble 3,157, John Gifford 3.362. J. M. Grimmer 2,663, R. A. Hutchinson 2.789, Henry L. Lilienthal 8.071, J.
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SPOKANE AND THE INLAND EMPIRE
T. Omo 3,106. J. Oscar Peterson 2.999, Milton N. Rogers 2.626, James J. Turrish 2.912, Otto A. Weile 2,867. E. M. Woydt 3,126. J. C. Argall 2,568.
The new government organized and took possession Tuesday, March 14. 1911, with the following adjustment of departmental duties:
Mayor and commissioner of public affairs, W. J. Hindley.
Vice-president of the council and commissioner of finance, Robert Fairley. Commissioner of public safety. Z. E. Hayden.
Commissioner of public utilities, C. M. Fassett.
Commissioner of public works. D. C. Coates.
CHAPTER LXIX
WHICH BRINGS THIS HISTORY UP TO DATE
FORMER POLICE CHIEF JOHN T. SULLIVAN ASSASSINATED-CITY ENTERTAINS ROOSEVELT AND TAFT-$77,431 SUBSCRIBED FOR GREATER SPOKANE PLANS AND PROJECTS- SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE OF POPULATION-MANUFACTURE OF PAPER STARTS ON LARGE SCALE-NEW MONROE STREET BRIDGE OPENED-SPOKANE CLUB OCCUPIES ITS NEW HOME-REMARKABLE GROWTH OF INLAND CLUB-"DOC BROWN ENDS HIS LIFE- GIPSY SMITH CONDUCTS LARGE REVIVAL.
A SSASSINATION of former Chief of Police John T. Sullivan, evening of January 5, 1911; the presence of Ex-President Roosevelt and President Taft; the raising of a large fund for the fourth national apple show and merchants' carnival ; and the formal opening of the new bridge at Monroe street, were prominent events of 1911.
As Mr. Sullivan, then captain of police, was seated by his fireside, an unknown enemy fired upon him through an uncurtained window. The wound was mortal ; the brave veteran of the police force lingered two days in a courageous and cheer- ful fight for life, and passed beyond after nearly twenty years of faithful and respected service on the force. Deep indignation for the erime and profound sym- pathy for Captain Sullivan were felt by the people of Spokane and surrounding country, and found quick expression in a fund of more than $10.000 collected by the chamber of commerce for the family of the murdered officer. The assassin eseaped and baffled a determined effort to ferret out his erime.
Mr. Roosevelt's visit was the most extended ever made in Spokane by a presi- dent or ex-president of the United States. He entered the city by the Northern Pacific from the west, on a Friday evening in April, and remained until Sunday after- noon. A throng of several thousand admirers had gathered at the depot, and the former president, accompanied by Senator Poindexter and Governor Hay, was met by a reception committee headed by R. L. Rutter, and taken to specially pre- pared apartments at Davenport's. An extended program had been arranged for Saturday. It included a drive to Fort Wright and review of the troops; a sight- seeing trip in automobiles; address before the teachers convention at the First Methodist church ; chamber of commerce luncheon and reception at the hall of the Doges; parade through the business district; an address from the veranda of Masonie temple at Riverside and Madison ; and a notable meeting at night in the armory, under direction of the Progressive Republican League of Spokane county.
President E. T. Coman of the chamber of commerce presided at the luncheon.
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SPOKANE AND THE INLAND EMPIRE
"No occupant of the executive chair since Jefferson," said Mr. Coman, "has had such keen comprehension of the possibilities of the west as the guest of today." After additional greetings had been spoken by Mayor Hindley, Mr. Roosevelt de- livered an address.
The night meeting at the armory brought out the largest audience ever assem- bled within walls in Spokane to greet a political speaker. Thousands were unable to gain admission to the crowded auditorium. Sunday morning Mr. Roosevelt attended church at All Saints Episcopal cathedral, was a guest at luncheon at the residence of W. II. Cowles, and left in the afternoon for Moscow over the Inland electric line.
President Taft's visit, the night of October 7. was of a flying nature, as his itinerary allowed but two hours in Spokane, The chief executive of the nation was greeted at the Northern Pacific depot by a waiting crowd of several thousand and a reception committee under direction of R. Lewis Rutter, and taken directly for a parade on Sprague and Riverside avenues, and after that to the Interstate fair grounds, where the president spoke before a waiting audience of 12,000. The throngs along the line of parade were closely estimated at 25,000.
Nineteen hundred and eleven passes into history as a year of commercial and industrial dullness, as compared with more stirring years before it; but the apple show banquet, evening of August 18, when $18,000 was subscribed around the banquet tables as a starter for a greater fund of $10.000 to finance the fourth show and an accompanying carnival, gave abundant proof that the Spokane spirit was never more alive. The dinner was given by a committee comprising D. W. Twohy, H. M. Richards, D. C. Corbin, J. M. Comstock, W. J. Hindley, John A. Finch, R. E. Strahorn, HI. M. Stephens, E. T. Coman, J. Grier Long, H. J. Neely and W. H. Cowles. A large part of the enthusiasm and success of the evening was attributed to G. B. Dennis. "I'm already down for $100, but I'll tell you what I'll do," said Mr. Dennis in way of challenge. "If there are nine men here who will give $100 each. I'll add another hundred to my subscription, and when that $1000 is raised I have another proposition to make to you." Mr. Dennis repeated this challenge till he was down for $500. R. I. Rutter was elected executive chairman of the citizens committee which completed the work of raising nearly $10,000.
At the largest annual banquet ever held by the Greater Spokane committee, evening of March 27, the fund for publicity and factories was launched with volun- tary subscriptions of $20,512.
A total of $77,131 was subscribed by 1.189 contributors to the two large funds raised this year : 901 contributors subscribed $39,500 to the apple show and car- nival, and 588 donated $37,931 to the Greater Spokane publicity and chamber of commerce fund.
'The Interstate fair had a week of ideal weather, and the exposition was praised as the best in the history of the city. Paid admissions aggregated 116,980, as com- pared with 110,198 in 1910.
Publication in February, 1911, of the new city directory brought proof of fine growth in 1910. The number of directory names increased within the year from 55,150 to 61.113. Based on the ratio of directory names in 1910 to the United States census returns, this indicated, on the same calculation, a population at the beginning of 1911 of 114,651. The increase in directory names, from 20,010 in
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RIVERSIDE AVENUE, LOOKING EAST FROM HOWARD STREET
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
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SPOKANE AND THE INLAND EMPIRE
1901 to 61.143 in 1911, revealed a growth of more than 200 per cent in the pre- ceding deeade.
Postal receipts for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 1911, were $481,923. The city's growth sinee 1896, the year that signalized the return of prosperity after the panic of '93, is impressively reflected in the postal receipts of the intervening years:
1897
$ 61,761
1901
174,321
1898
75.023
1905
202,201
1899
90,230
1906
250,234
1900
93.337
1907
318,662
1901
104,082
1908
356,714
1902
125,101
1909
426,640
1903
151,849
1910
469,531
A memorable event of 1911 was the formal opening of the new Monroe street concrete bridge, November 23, with the largest monolithic arch in the United States -one solid piece of concrete, 281 feet long, 136 feet high and 71 feet wide. The Rocky river bridge at Cleveland falls short of this great span by a single foot. The three arches of the Monroe street structure present a combined length of 784 feet, and a wooden approach at the south end brings the total length to 965 feet. In round numbers the bridge cost $475,000, and its construction extended over a period of two years. In its building two lives were lost, two other workmen were seriously injured, and nearly 50 workmen received minor injuries. The bridge was designed by J. C. Ralston, then city engineer, and was built under his direction and that of City Engineer Morton Macartney, his successor.
Construetively 1910 and 1911 had much to offer. In October and November the chamber of commerce conducted an interesting and revealing series of "seeing Spo- kane" excursions, designed to give its members a closer knowledge of their home town. The excursion of November 10 took 85 business men to the newly completed plant of the Inland Empire Paper company at Millwood, three miles east. Wilbur S. Yearsley and Don Ryrie, officers of the company, conducted the party. At that time the company had invested $350,000, and had planned an ultimate investment of $680,000. It had a daily output December 1 of twenty-two tons, and contem- plates a daily output in 1912 of 57 tons. The factory then employed 96 people, with a monthly payroll of $8,000. When completed, employment will be provided for 225 people, with a $20,000 monthly payroll. To D. T. Ham large credit is given for the bringing of this new industry to Spokane.
Among the large buildings completed this year was the new Spokane club, fin- ished for occupancy in August af a cost of nearly $300,000, with four floors and a roof garden above ground, and three basements of the size of the first floor.
Another notable structure was the home of the Inland Commercial club and Eilers mnsie house, erected at Post and Sprague at a cost of $125,000. A significant in- dication of the Spokane spirit was evident in the remarkable success of the Inland club. which attained a resident membership of 700 before the close of the year, with 119 non-resident and 117 commercial traveler memberships. J. P. McGoldrick is president and E. A. von Hasslocher secretary, and the governing board is com- posed of Thomas S. Griffith. Joseph A. Borden, F. M. March. R. E. Strahorn, F. R. Val 1-34.
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SPOKANE AND THE INLAND EMPIRE
Culbertson, A. Starke Oliver, J. F. Meagher. J. C. White, P. D. Tull. A. C. Ware, Seabury Merritt. H. C. Munson. Dr. A. E. Stuht. Don Ryrie, E. L.' Ensign. Gordon C. Corbaley, Charles Hebberd, Bob Mabry and E. A. Moye.
Another impressive addition to the city's architecture was the Knickerbocker apartment house, Fifth and Howard, built by G. B. Dennis at an expenditure of $200,000.
The suicide at Oakland. California, April 18. of H. G. Brown, more widely known as "Doc" Brown, removed a remarkable pioneer personality. Brown came to Spokane in 1887 or 1888, and opened the old Arlington gambling house, at the north- west corner of Main and Howard. After the fire he reopened under canvas on Riverside avenue, near the big gambling tent of "Dutch Jake" and Harry Baer. The following year he established the historic Owl gambling house and restaurant, at Main and Howard streets, with Charles White and C. D. Bibbins, present owners of the Fernwell and Mohawk blocks as partners.
After the enactment of the law making gambling a felony in this state, Brown moved to Portland, and thence to Panama, in a hope that the building of the canal, with its attendant army of wage-earners, would afford him an opportunity to re- coup his losses. Disappointed in this expectation, he drifted back to Spokane: but the old days had vanished, and with them the oldtime conditions that were never- more to return. Open gambling had become history, and little or nothing remained that could be conducted profitably under cover. Discouraged, Brown went to San Francisco, grew despondent over his long continued losses, and ended his checkered carcer with a revolver. The tragie news shocked and grieved many an oldtimer who had known "Doc" Brown in his prosperous days. A more generous soul it would be hard to find in a day's journey. His gifts to charity, to public enterprises, and to individuals in distress had long been proverbial. In the years of his af- fluence few were the subscription papers circulated in Spokane without his sig- nature. To his reputation for liberality he added a quiet, gentlemanly demeanor, a mild voice and an almost diffident bearing. You always felt that in some manner "Doc" Brown must have been a victim of untoward circumstances, else he could hardly have drifted into the life of a professional gambler. "The whitest man that ever engaged in a bad business" was the verdict of that portion of the public who had known him personally in happier days.
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