Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-03-19


In r<ply % : lesier Of lnquify fron
The editor Of the Yakima Fsru<r. H.
g ssruve gives he infosmasioa FOL
Iowing.
Irsgres that cannot give you The
precise date Of the Act OF Co1grese
making an appropriation Of ~. 900
for The erection Of . Capitol building
In this Territory. The Caited States
ssafnfes nj large are not now readily
accessible 10 me to enable me 70 fur
aish the information. II was either
10 1855, 1856 or 1857, probably the
latter year. By reference TO the
Statutes % Washington Territory of
1878. page 4, ron viii find an act
OF the Legislature providing for the
expenditure OF this appropriation
and appointing commissioner for
that purpose This act provided for
the permanent location of the Capitol
al Olympia Some time necessarily
elapsed 10 the examination Of the
title 10 the Capitol grounds BY the
Attorney General of the United
States, Is by the message of Gov. r.
ID. Ghoison, delivered Dec sth, 1859
He informs the Legislature that
nothing had reached his Office in re
lstion 10 the title of the Capitol
grounds
According to the message of Act
ing Governor II. NJ McGili. delivered
Dee. 9Th, 1850, 70 the Legislature. he
says that in February, 1850, Governor
Ghoison received information from
the Treasury Department that the
title to the land selected for the Capt.
tol building had been approved by
the Attorney General, and thai por-
tion Of the funds appropriated had
been forwarded to the Chief Justice
Hon. o. b. McFaddep) TO be de-
livered to the Governor on his exc
cutting q bond a. disbursing agent.
Acting Governor McGill executed
such bond and insisted on the imme-
date construction of the building,
bat the Chairman of the Board Of
Capitol Commissioners George Gal
lagher, Of Steilacoom, informed the
Governor that he did not propose TO
proceed with the building until after
the meeting Of the Legislature The
Governor, however, directed tAe
Commissioner to proceed. and upon
his failure to do this he appointed
another In his place.
Pending these proceedings, the
question of removal Of the capital TO
Vancouver was actively agitated,
and upon the meeting of the Legisls-
ture In December. 1880, . bill was in.
Produced to remove the capital 10
Vancouver. which was duly passed.
but by some feat Of political legerde-
main the bill as enrolled contained
no enacting clause and bore no date,
and al the same session an act was
passed lsee Statutes OF 1s60-6l, page
66). submitting the question Of locst-
ing the seat Of government TO the
people at the next election-Juiy,
1861. This vote resulted In Olympia
receiving 1889 votes, Vancouver $50,
Steilacoom 253. Port Townsend az.
Walia Waila SO, Seattle %, and scat
sering votes for other places. The
otl Atto PSopit fSSisttu thC tCtAiotaf
Of the seat OF government to Van
couver by legal proceedings. which
resulted In decision by the Supreme
Court against the validity Of the re-
moval act, and so the capital re-
manned at Olympia. This was in
December. 1861 Chief Justice Nc
Fadden was removed by President
Lincoln and succeeded by Chief JUS
tice Hewitt in September. 1851. and
Just prior to the surrender of his
Office he returned the appropriation,
and under existing laws regulating
unexpended appropriations il revert
ed back into the United States Treas
ury. Since that time Congress has
DOT made any other appropriation for
that purpose.
The foregoing is in brief the history
Of the old Capitol imbroglio as | re-
member 1t, and / hope IL will convey
the information YOU desire.