1916
(We wish to acknowledge here the valuable assistance of Mr. J. F. Clancy of the auditor's office in compiling these records of election returns.)
MUNICIPAL POLITICS
Turning from the political history of the county to that of the towns, we will give our attention first to Dayton.
Of the founding and of the earliest days of the metropolis of the Touchet we have spoken already. We have also spoken of the schools and churches. It remains to take note of the municipal history and organization and of the journalism of the town. A petition from the citizens looking to incorporation is worthy of preservation, by reason of the fact that it was the first step in that direction, and still more from the fact that it contains what might be regarded as practically an authorized record of the business men of the town of that time. It is dated May 5, 1876, and is addressed to the county commissioners. We are indebted to the "History of Southeastern Washington" for this excerpt:
To the Honorables, the County Commissioners of the County of Columbia, in the Territory of Washington:
We, your petitioners, do most respectfully represent that we are citizens of the Town of Dayton in said county and are qualified electors under the laws of this territory; that we have resided in said town for thirty days and upwards next preceding the date of this petition; that we are desirous that said town should be incorporated, and a police established for our local government; that the territory we wish incorporated is bounded and described as follows, to-wit: The east half of the northwest quarter, and northeast quarter of section 30, and the east half of southeast quarter of section 30, and west half of southwest quarter, and southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 29, all in township 10, north, range 39 east; also north half of northeast quarter of southwest quarter and north half of northwest quarter of southeast quarter of section 30, town 10 north, range 39 east, in the County of Columbia and Territory of Washington, a plat of which is hereunto annexed and made a part of this petition. And your petitioners do further represent that said town contains over one hundred and fifty inhabitants and we do most respectfully pray that you incorporate said town. Dated April 27, 1876.
John Mustard, A. L. McCauley, A. Vallen, R. F. Sturdevant, Mc. C. Lyon, J. S. Thomas, R. T. Watrous, F. Maynard, D. C. Guernsey, A. J. Cain, W. O. Matzger, O. C. White, M. Riggs, E. Tatro, F. G. Frary, A. M. Sparks, I. G. Abbott, L. L. Davis, W. W. Day, J. W. Maddox, James Gough, J. M. Hunt, J. M. Sparks, B. Magill, J. N. Day, G. A. Opperman, A. J. Dexter, Wiley Sparks, Salmon Park, G. L. Kirk, C. Hansen, J. H. Lister, P. Stedman, H. S. Critchfield, Thomas T. Elliott, A. Jacobs, J. M. Grinstead, J. H. Kennedy, J. L. Smith, William Hendershott, S. M. Wait, W. S. Newland, George W. Giles, W. A. Belcher, J. Kerby, D. S. Richardson, D. F. Spangler, C. W. Frick, H. P. Keach, W. A. Moody, Thomas Smith, L. E. Harris, R. A. Rowley, R. H. Condon, J. B. Armstrong, W. A. Sparks, C. A. Clark, William E. Coney, Con. Ruttlemiller, L. Ritter, J. H. Kennedy, Edward Owens.
The commissioners granted this request and in pursuance of the territorial law empowering commissions to grant incorporation, they appointed May 22d the date for electing trustees. Apparently the record of the results of that election is not available, but the trustees chosen a year later were J. F. Martin, Perry Steen, George Eckler, William Metzger and W. S. Strong. The assessor reported the population of the town at that time as 526.