The Legislative Stalemate Over Washington’s Senator
After forty-nine ballots, the state legislature remains deadlocked in a bitter contest for a U.S. Senate seat, as factional infighting paralyzes the selection process.
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.
The Turnerites held a caucus this evening with twenty-two present. It was determined to continue voting for Turner for the present, though there was opposition to the proposition. When the caucus adjourned, the usual announcement was made by the Turner chiefs that the minority had decided to 'stand pat' until the close of the session. In the joint convention held today—the forty-ninth of the contest—83 votes were cast, 45 being necessary for a choice. John B. Allen received 41, George Turner 17, C. W. Griggs 23, and C. W. Young 7. The votes for Young were cast by the Populists, who abandoned Teats today for the candidate of their party. A large number of Democrats who are ambitious to secure commissions from the president-elect arrived in Olympia, but the legislative committee postponed the canvass of office seekers' petitions until March, leaving the state's political future in a state of suspended animation.
“It is this false plea that has so long kept a number of Turner men where they are with the wreckers of their party.”
The 1893 Senate deadlock highlights the enduring nature of political gridlock in Washington. Much like today's legislative battles, local factions were driven more by personal loyalty and the spoils of patronage than by clear policy mandates.
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