The Governor’s Pen and the Missing Partner
Governor McGraw prepares to slash the state budget while a political souvenir publisher flees Olympia with his partner's cash.
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.
Olympia, March 11—Seventy-odd bills passed by the legislature have not yet been acted upon by the governor, including the general appropriation bill. It is believed he will veto numerous items, particularly for normal schools. Among the important measures pending are bills for the state university, the state capitol, a state fair at North Yakima, and the regulation of railways and roads. Meanwhile, Col. Will Visscher has been victimized by his partner, W. H. McEwen, in the publication of the 'Souvenir of Washington's Third Legislature.' McEwen left Olympia yesterday without notice, taking an estimated $350 collected from members. Visscher, hoping to recover the funds, followed him to Tacoma but held little hope of finding his collaborator, who also failed to account for $50 belonging to the legislative press club treasury.
“Visscher, on learning of his partner's hurried departure, became suspicious that McEwen did not intend to divide.”
Budget disputes and state capitol projects have been a constant in Washington politics for over 130 years. Visscher’s unfortunate partnership reminds us that even in the legislative 'off-season,' the hunt for accountability—and the occasional grifter—persists in the corridors of power.
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