The Martial Law Debate that Rocked the Territory

The Democratic convention recently held in Seattle has left the party in an awkward position. They sought to denounce the proclamation of martial law by Governor Squire as an 'unwarranted usurpation of power,' yet the convention found itself unable to fully commit to this condemnation. The delegates were conflicted because Andrew Jackson, the father of modern Democracy, did not hesitate to proclaim martial law when he deemed it necessary, and Isaac Stevens, the first and greatest of Washington Territory’s Democratic governors, also proclaimed martial law. The irony was not lost on critics: Governor Squire, following the precedent set by his Democratic predecessors, proclaimed martial law when he deemed it urgent, only to be denounced by a convention that failed to address the uncomfortable fact that the Cleveland Administration in Washington, D.C., had actually endorsed Squire’s actions and praised him for his decisiveness. The convention’s attempt to walk the middle ground—denouncing the 'wrongdoing' while failing to demand any meaningful repercussions—left them looking foolish in the eyes of the public.