Political Gridlock in Spokane
Mayor Boyd clashes with the city council over appointments and salary vetoes.
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.
Mayor Boyd is having a hard time with the democratic majority of the city council. In the year since he was inaugurated, he has been unable to appoint a cabinet, and the pledges he made before the election are being ignored. He claims that he tried to divide the appointive offices fairly among the democrats, but they refused to meet him halfway on the whole thing. The mayor invited all of the council to a conference and attempted to get them to agree to his appointments, but after a discussion of considerable warmth, the conference adjourned without anything being accomplished. The mayor is said to have served notice on the democrats that until they consent to confirm his appointments, he will veto all salary ordinances. The democrats declare that they will not be bluffed, and the war goes merrily on.
“The democrats declare that they will not be bluffed by this ultimatum, and the war goes merrily on.”
The classic struggle between an executive branch and a stubborn council remains a fixture of Washington politics. Even in 1903, the threat to withhold government salaries was a standard tactic for breaking legislative deadlock.
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