Political Gridlock Paralyzes Connell Land Office
A power struggle between rival political factions has left homesteaders unable to conduct vital business at the U.S. Commissioner’s office.
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.
Land office business in the Connell part of the Walla Walla land district has come to a standstill. The term of W. G. Van Valkenburgh, who has held the office of United States commissioner for the past four years, expired December 31st, and a sharp clash of local aspirants has caused some delay in choosing a successor. The power of appointment is vested in Federal Judge Hanford, and it is alleged that he is kindly disposed toward reappointing Mr. Van Valkenburgh. The latter, however, is not a favorite to the Ankeny crowd, and they are doing what they can to defeat him. In the meantime, the homesteaders are sucking their thumbs, figuratively speaking, and wondering when they will be permitted to conclude their business.
“In the meantime, the homesteaders are sucking their thumbs, figuratively speaking, and wondering when they will be permitted to conclude their business.”
Local political friction causing the total abandonment of bureaucratic services is a timeless frustration for citizens. Just as settlers in 1904 were left in limbo while political machines bickered over appointments, modern rural residents often find their essential needs secondary to the internal maneuvering of local governing bodies.
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