A Territorial Tug-of-War Over School Funds
A long-standing dispute between the State of Washington and Walla Walla County centers on the proceeds from an illegal 1860s land sale.
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.
A question of ownership has arisen regarding $2,818.04 held by the Walla Walla county treasurer. The county claims the money, while state officials argue it belongs to the state, as it was accumulated through the sale of school lands as far back as 1860. Attorney General Stratton ruled that the county treasurer has the duty to remit this money to the state, noting that during territorial days there was never any authority for the sale of lands reserved by the federal government for common schools. County officials, however, contend that because Congress passed an act quieting title to the lands prior to statehood, the state has no claim, and the money should stay in the county to support local schools.
“The county officials are of the opinion that as congress had passed the act quieting title... the state could not acquire any title whatever to the lands.”
Conflicts over the ownership of public land and the control of designated school funds reflect the historical friction between local autonomy and state-level authority that characterized the transition from territory to statehood.
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