Drafting Washington's Future
As the 1889 Constitutional Convention drags on, legislators, lobbyists, and educators collide over taxes, schools, and the path to statehood.
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.
The constitutional convention has been grinding quite slowly since its organization, and has not accomplished a great deal, so a Republican congress was held at the Capitol after adjournment on Monday. It was the unanimous opinion of the meeting that the convention should move briskly and that business should be expedited. Time is being wasted, and if the constitution is not ready within a reasonable time, night sessions will be necessary. Gas has been put into the Capitol building, and night sessions will be begun immediately. A delegation of ministers and elders is bent on securing exemption of church property from taxation. A petition from the pedagogues favors industrial training and asks that the requirements for teachers be made more exacting. It also favors compulsory education and an educational qualification for electors. Senator Stewart appeared before the convention on Tuesday evening and spoke on silver and irrigation.
“The educators want the earth.”
The 1889 constitutional convention remains the bedrock of Washington's governance. Debates from 135 years ago—specifically about tax exemptions for institutions and the role of education in the franchise—continue to echo in the modern Washington State Legislature.
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