, 1889-12-05
HE HAS THE PEN AND HOLDER
That President Harrison Used
on the Proclamation.
SPECIAL AGENT J.. W. ROBINSON
Tells How He Was Received by
the President at Wash
ington.

| OLYMPIA, Wash, Nov. D--The house
men are disposed to earn their per diem.
They met promptly at 10 this morning
and worked until $3.50, taking recess
for dinner. About fifty members
answered to the roll call in the morning,
but before the day ended nine more
showed up.
The senate met at p NJ. and was in
session less than an hour. Eighteen. a
bare quorum, were present when the
session began.
The house passed one bill to-day and
defeated another and wrangled over sev-
eral more. Tho defeated measure was
Hughes bill appropriating 5000 to print
1000 copies of the constitution. There
were % votes for 1t and 36 against it. 1t
named Andrew Wood of Seattle as the
person who should receive the contract
for the printing and was therefore
singled out as class legislation and de-
feated.
The bill which passed was introduced
by Judson of Pierce. 1t appropriates
$40, 900 to make up deficiency in the
insane asylum fund.
The deficiency mutely tells the story
of the increase of the insane population.
The session of 1878 appropriated
1000 to support the asylum for two
years; that was 5000 more than the
institution had cost for any previous
two years term. At the time there we're
200 patients under treatment. The enum-
Der has grown with the large increase in
population and now there are $50 pa
tients in the asylum.
1t has been found necessary to build a
new asylum at Medical Lake to accom-
modate the large increase.
j. W. Robinson of this city, the mes
senger who carried the official copy of
the constitution of Washington to Presi-
dent Harrison for his signature, returned
tonight. He had pleasant trip. He
brought home the pen and penholder
with which President Harrison signed
the proclamation admitting Washing
ton. He will present 1t to Governor
Ferry on Monday. In conversation
with the Oregonian correspondent to-
night Messenger Robinson told his story
of the delay of the is suance Of the
procla lamation.
81 arrived in w ashington on Friday
morning, November l." he said, "and
lost no time in delivering my message
to President Harrison at the executive
mansion. l was told that II was the In
tention to issue the proclamation the
following Tuesday. The proclamation
could have been issued Friday or Satur-
day, but If it had been the Inauguration
of Governor Ferry would have taken
| place on NJ onday, as the law requires.
president Harrison desired to give the
state officers elect a week to prepare
themselves before assuming the duties
of their office and ther efore set Tuesday
as the time of signin gthe proclamatio n,
which would make the 1Ith the date of
| the Inauguration. Monday morning L
received word from Attorney General
Miller to call at his office. When | ar
placed before me the papers intrusted to
my care when l left Olympia with the
request that look them over and see if
they were all right.
81 did so, and found that the certificate
was not signed by Governor Moore. Up
to that time had supposed that every
thing was all right and was perfectly
astonished at my discovery. Informed
the attorney general and added that the
question in my mind was whether the
letter sent by Governor Moore with the
pamphlet copies of the constitution
Of one properly signed by Governor
"'That is precisely the'point am de-
batting, said the attorney general dubi-
ously:
Harrison and informed him of the oinis-
sion of Governor Moore's signature. I
told him everything would be all right
in time and urged him not to delay the
issuance of the proclamation on that
Blaine, who settled the proposition to
issue the proclamation that week.
This is very important natter
he said to me, and the people of Wasa-
ington can not afford to have their state
admitted with cloud hanging over the
subject for quibbling in the time to
come. At most, the admission will be
delayed not more than two weeks and
the people had better wait President
Harrison also assured me that in order
that the proclamation might be tecnni-
arrival of certificate properly and legal
ly signed. With the present secretary of
state and attorney general of the United
States against me there was nothing for
me to do but to wait.
1--WE talked over the prospect of order
ing a certificate by telegraph, but the
president was not favorably disposed to
do it. The law required the attestation
ofthc territorial secretary with the terri
torial seal attached to the certificate and
you know you can not send o seal by
telegraph, and besides 1t would not be a
good policy to attach telegraphic certi-
ficate to such an important document as
q state constitution.
Therefore. as a matter of self protec-
tion, the president saw no other course
open to him but to delay the proclama-
tfon until the arrival of the constitution,
duly certified. When Governor Moore's
telegraphic certificate reached the presi--
denA he had already made up his mind
that 1t would not answer. The properly
certified constitution went direct to
I bsnA IAwx ,asa L..
me that might have the honor of de-
livering 1t to the president. The rest of
the story you know; it has been told by
telegraph"
Messenger Robinson was In Ohio on
his way homo, when he heard of the
election of Senators Squire and Allen.
He says their election was generally ex-
pected.
L lIKITEn "a