The Senatorial Tug-of-War Over the Puget Sound
In 1892, Washington’s first senators fought to prevent their state from losing its autonomy to Oregon’s political muscle in a dispute over customs districts.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
WASHINGTON CITY, March 11.—Monday has been agreed upon as the time when a bill, which recently passed the Senate, shall be taken up and discussed. This bill proposes to take a slice off the Puget Sound collection district and attach it to the Oregon collection district, claiming it is for the benefit of the public service along the Columbia River. Senator Squire told the Post-Intelligencer correspondent that he intended to see the matter thoroughly discussed. He noted that Senator Dolph, who is moving in this matter, has been very brusque, if not discourteous, to the Washington senators. Squire stated that he did not propose to have a slice of Washington state cut off without knowing the reason, and that Senator Dolph’s reliance on a Treasury Department recommendation was insufficient when the Department itself cared little about the change. Senator Squire remarked that the Oregon senators have secured many good committee assignments by right of prestige and long service, and are in positions of power that will take the Washington senators some time to acquire. However, he declared that he did not propose to be run over and trampled upon simply because his state is new in the Union. Senator Allen is in perfect accord with his colleague, and there is no doubt that he will present facts to convince the Senate that there is no necessity for passing this bill.
“I did not propose to be run over and trampled upon, simply because his state is new in the Union.”
This territorial dispute from 1892 reflects a perennial struggle for Washington: the fight for regional sovereignty against outside interests or neighbors who attempt to carve up the state’s administrative control. It highlights the growing pains of a new state asserting its identity in the federal halls of power against established, older interests.
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