The Legislature Votes Itself a Territorial Rifle
In a moment of classic political opportunism, the Council passes a measure granting every member a firearm at public expense.
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.
Mr. Caples introduced a Council Joint Resolution relative to every member of the Legislature voting himself a Territorial rifle, under suspension of rules read three times and passed by the following vote: Yeas: Messrs. Caples, Simms, Denny, Woodard and President. Nays: Messrs. Biles, Burbank and Miller.
“Relative to every member of the Legislature voting himself a Territorial rifle.”
Public ethics and the misuse of legislative funds remain a perennial tension in Olympia. This 1861 incident mirrors the long-standing, often frustrated public demand for accountability regarding how elected officials spend taxpayer money on themselves.
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