Preparing for the Territorial Vote
Governor Elisha P. Ferry issues a formal proclamation for the November 1876 general election, including a critical vote on whether to draft a new State Constitution.
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.
I, Elisha P. Ferry, Governor of the Territory of Washington, do hereby declare that a General Election will be held in said Territory on Tuesday, the seventh day of November, A. D. one thousand eight hundred and seventy-six, at which the following named officers will be elected. The electors will also vote 'For' or 'Against' calling a Convention to frame a State Constitution.
“The electors will also vote 'For' or 'Against' calling a Convention to frame a State Constitution.”
This proclamation marks the early, often fraught path Washington took toward statehood. The debate over whether to draft a constitution reflects the era's ongoing struggle to define the territory's power against federal oversight.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.