The Great Spokane Dental Crackdown
A group of Spokane dentists face criminal charges for practicing without a state license, leading to a legal showdown over the constitutionality of Washington's dental regulations.
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.
Spokane dentists arrested on charges of violating the dental law will plead guilty in superior court and after sentencing will go to the state supreme court on habeas corpus, seeking their release under a claim that the law is unconstitutional. The legal challenge stems from the 1901 act meant to regulate the practice of dentistry. The state board of dental examiners has announced an intention of carrying on a vigorous warfare against dentists who attempt to engage in the business without a license. The penalty provided by the law for a violation is a fine of not less than $50 and not more than $200, or imprisonment not exceeding six months in the county jail, or both.
“The board announces an intention of carrying on a vigorous warfare against dentists who attempt to engage in the business without the license.”
Professional licensing remains a major tension point in Washington's regulatory landscape. While today's debates often focus on labor mobility and interstate reciprocity, in 1903 it was a matter of state-sanctioned 'dental warfare' aimed at standardizing professional credentials.
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