The Governor’s Office Emptied
Acting Governor Laughton faces accusations of legal overreach and depletion of state funds, leading to a clash with Governor Ferry.
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, May 21: The late acting governor’s haste to fill all the offices provided by the recent legislature has resulted in the alleged unconstitutionality of all appointments on the state board of horticulture and state board of health. Governor Ferry finds the former illegal because one of the members never qualified. The bill providing for the state board of health contained a clause for an appropriation, but such a fact was not stated in the title. This was overlooked by Laughton, who immediately filled all the offices, though the bill does not take effect until June 7. Auditor Reed has refused to recognize any of the vouchers, but Governor Ferry says if the men are reliable and capable, he will probably reappoint them. Governor Ferry is not unmindful of the large amount of the state’s money swallowed up by the acting governor during his short incumbency. The incidental funds of the governor’s office, the mining bureau, and state geologist have entirely disappeared, and the funds for the payment of the clerk, janitor, and messenger are said to have all been paid out.
“The incidental funds of the governor’s office, the mining bureau and state geologist have entirely disappeared.”
Political theater regarding the legitimacy of executive appointments and concerns over administrative spending remain a recurring theme in state-level governance. This 1891 struggle over bureaucratic transition highlights the foundational tensions of Washington’s early statehood.
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