The Governor’s Sudden Exit
After maintaining order during the 1885 anti-Chinese riots, Washington’s Republican Governor Watson C. Squire is ousted by a Democratic administration, leaving a polarized territory behind.
Olympia, W. T., April 28 — Last evening the newly appointed Governor, Hon. Eugene Semple, arrived from Vancouver accompanied by a delegation of citizens by whom he was escorted to Young’s Hotel. Today at 2 p. m. the ceremony of inauguration took place in the Council Chamber of the Capitol, which was witnessed by a large assembly. Judge Allyn, of the Supreme Court, administered the oath of office to a most attentive audience, after which he introduced the new Governor to those who were impressed with the responsibility of the office to which he had been appointed. Governor Squire, during his administration, had distinguished himself as an official of marked executive ability. His removal, we believe, was based almost entirely on partisan grounds. He had made a faithful, honest, and able official, and had acted well his part under the most trying circumstances, putting down red-handed riot and rebellion against the highest laws of the land. His removal may cause a renewal of the anti-Chinese agitation and an increase of the activity of the lawless element.
“Governor Squire has made a faithful, honest, and able official, and had acted well his part under the most trying circumstances, putting down red-handed riot and rebellion.”
Watson C. Squire’s removal highlights the recurring tension in Washington between local governance and federal political shifts. Just as the 1880s saw power struggles over labor and race, today’s municipal leaders continue to navigate volatile public sentiment regarding immigration and civil order, often with their tenure tied to the shifting priorities of higher-level political appointments.
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