The Never-Ending Senatorial Deadlock
Legislative chaos in Olympia as power-brokering and petty infighting stall the selection of a U.S. Senator.
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 political cabal managing the supporters of Turner in the state legislature is in disarray. After failing to force a compromise or initiate a 'dark horse' candidacy with Senator Richards, the Turner camp is struggling to maintain cohesion. The deadlock in Olympia has become a theater of the absurd, with rival Spokane newspaper editors poisoning the candidate's mind, each trying to claim monopoly credit for the 'Turner boom.' Meanwhile, in the House, the Edwards election contest has devolved into a shouting match, with Representative Steve Judson drawing fire from both sides for his procedural maneuvering. While legislators caucus and re-caucus, promising to 'stand pat,' the business of the state remains effectively frozen by the stalemate.
“Turner's head must have been turned by his success in keeping up the deadlock, or he would not believe that he owns many of his supporters.”
This account of late-19th-century legislative gridlock—filled with 'third-house' backroom deals and intense media rivalry—highlights that the dysfunction of Olympia is a foundational feature of Washington politics rather than a modern invention.
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