Saloon Keeper Launches Impeachment War
After being denied a license, a local pioneer targets city officials for illegal self-dealing in Vancouver's municipal government.
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.
Because the city council refused to grant him a saloon license, Henry Van Atta, one of the pioneer citizens of Vancouver, will cause Councilman W. P. Crawford, John Huston and J. A. Webber to face impeachment proceedings in the superior court. He alleges they sold supplies to the city contrary to law. W. P. Crawford, of the general merchandise firm of Crawford, Marshall & Co., allegedly sold supplies to the city; John Huston is charged with selling lumber for sidewalks; and J. A. Webber is charged with shoeing city fire department horses for a fee. The state law in Ballinger's Code prohibits city officers from having an interest in any city contract.
“No officer of such city shall be interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract with such city... and any claim or compensation for work done... shall be void.”
This early 20th-century clash over municipal contracts and 'city fathers' profiting from their positions highlights the recurring civic struggle against corruption in local government.
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