The Senator Who Bought His Seat
A Washington State legislator admits to accepting $200 to sway his vote for U.S. Senator, sparking a scandal in Olympia that mirrors modern concerns about political corruption.
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.
OLYMPIA, Jan. 21.—[Special.]—In the Senate, Long of Lewis introduced the following resolution:
WHEREAS, It was CHARGED by Representative Metcalfe that he had received $200 to influence his vote for a certain candidate for United States senator; and,
WHEREAS, A committee WAS immediately appointed by the House of Representatives to investigate the truth of said charge, which committee is now engaged in such investigation and has not completed taking testimony and cannot therefore make report of its findings and conclusion;
therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Senate, that the vote for the election of United States senator be postponed to such time as the two houses may concur upon.
An animated discussion followed, participated in by Long and Owinge in support of the resolution and Kinnear, Thompson of Walla Walla and De Armond against it. The motion was lost by a vote of 13 to 14.
This 1891 scandal over bribery in the election of U.S. Senators highlights how long the struggle against political corruption has been in Washington. Before the 17th Amendment (1913), senators were chosen by state legislatures, a process ripe for backroom deals and cash-for-votes scandals like this one in Olympia.
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