The Territory's Failed Constitutional Bid
In a formal proclamation, Governor Elisha P. Ferry officially declared the rejection of a proposed state constitution and its supplemental articles by the voters of the Washington Territory.
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.
WHEREAS, at a general election held in the Territory of Washington on the fifth day of November, 1878, there were submitted to the qualified voters of said Territory, for adoption or rejection, a constitution for the State of Washington; and whereas, at a general election held in the counties of Idaho, Shoshone and Nez Perce in the Territory of Idaho, on said fifth day of November, said constitution and 'Separate Articles' were submitted for adoption or rejection to the legal voters of said counties; and whereas, it is made the duty of the Governor of the Territory of Washington to declare by proclamation the result of the votes cast and returned on the adoption or rejection of said constitution and Separate Articles. Now, therefore, I, Elisha P. Ferry, Governor of said Territory, do hereby declare the following to be the result of the vote cast at said election in the Territory of Washington: For Constitution, 5,537. Against the Constitution, 3,636. And I do further declare that said constitution has been rejected.
“I do further declare that said constitution has been rejected.”
This proclamation marks a pivot point in Washington's journey to statehood, which wouldn't be achieved for another eleven years. Today, it serves as a reminder that the path to civic integration and governance was often fraught with bureaucratic delays and regional disputes, not unlike current debates surrounding local autonomy and territorial representation.
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