The Political Ax Falls in Yakima
The federal office of the register faces a shakeup as political loyalties shift and local officials are removed.
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 official axe has dropped, and S. W. Lamping, special agent of the interior department, awoke a few mornings ago to find his head in the same condition as that of ex-Collector Bradshaw. The decapitation thus commenced is not to end there, but Register Ira M. Krutz is the next one to go. Mr. Krutz promised to resign way back in April last, but he has been holding on like grim death. Congressman Wilson is vigorously urging his removal and the inspector who recently visited this office will report against his longer being retained on the grounds that the good of the service demands a change.
“The official axe has dropped... the good of the service demands a change.”
Political appointments and federal oversight in Yakima remain a point of civic tension. This 1891 report reflects the era's 'spoils system,' where local federal positions were subject to the whims of shifting party influence.
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