Following the initial election, voting population, and assessed valuation, already given, we may summarize the official events under the following headings:
At the general election of November, 1882, the voting precincts were: Pomeroy, Pataha City, Pleasant, River, Meadow, Tucanon, Columbia Center, Asotin, Cottonwood, Lake, Grande Ronde. The results were the following, majorities being given in each case: For delegate to Congress T. H. Brents, 103; joint councilman, J. E. Edmiston, 14; joint councilman, N. T. Caton, 146; attorney, J. K. Rutherford, 24; representative, William Clark, 57; auditor, H. B. Ferguson, 142; sheriff, W. E. Wilson, 299; treasurer, J. W. Rauch, 231; commissioner, J. D. Swain, 552; commissioner, Z. A. Baldwin, 66; commissioner, James Hull, 15; probate judge, Benjamin Butler, 226; superintendent of schools, without opposition, Mrs. T. G. Morrison; assessor, H. H. Wise, 115; surveyor, E. D. Briggs, 259; coroner, Dr. G. B. Kuykendall, 129; sheep commissioner, C. H. Seeley, 2. J. D. Swain having resigned as commissioner on account of the prospective setting apart of Asotin County, James Chisholm was appointed to fill the vacancy.
Of the above officers Messrs. Brents, Swain, Baldwin, Butler, Clark, Wise, Kuykendall, Briggs, Seeley, and Mrs. Morrison were republicans, while Messrs. Edmiston, Caton, Rutherford, Ferguson, Wilson, Rauch and Hull were democrats.
In the next election, 1884, Asotin County having in the meantime been set apart, the republicans maintained their lead, as on all normal issues they have continued to do to the present. The total vote of 1884 was 1,314, a large increase over that of two years previous, even though Asotin had become distinct. But that was the year of the short-lived woman suffrage regime, and that explains in part the increase. The result of the election was to give Armstrong, republican, for delegate, a majority over Voorhees, though the latter was chosen for the Territory. The joint councilmen, Isaac Carson and B. B. Day, republicans, received majorities in the county and the republican candidate for representative, J. N. Perkins, received a majority. Of the local officers chosen, W. E. Wilson for sheriff, J. W. Rauch for treasurer, and D. Strain for commissioner, were democrats. All the others were republicans: Benjamin Butler, probate judge; I. C. Sanford, superintendent of schools; H. H. Wise, assessor; Hayden Gearhardt, surveyor; C. O. Kneen and J. F. Martin, commissioners; Dr. G. B. Kuykendall, coroner; and C. H. Seeley, sheep commissioner.
The election of 1886 totaled 1,313 votes. The republican candidate for delegate, C. M. Bradshaw received eleven votes more than Voorhees, but the latter again had a majority in the territory. For joint councilman and joint representative, O. C. White and R. A. Case, both republicans, were chosen.
For local officers, W. N. Noffsinger, attorney; Benjamin Butler, probate judge; Gilbert Dickson, treasurer; I. N. Julian, assessor; Hayden Gearhardt, surveyor; Dr. G. W. Black, coroner; J. H. Walker, sheep commissioner, and J. S. Davis and Joseph Scott, commissioners, were all republicans. The democrats chosen were S. K. Hull for sheriff, R. H. Wills for auditor, T. Driscoll for superintendent of schools, and J. Parker for commissioner.
The election of 1888 was notable in several respects. The republicans chose every local candidate except that for prosecuting attorney, and he was chosen by only one majority. In the general shiftings of the next few years he became a republican, but to whichever party he belonged he has been honored as one of the leading citizens of the county and state. This was judge Mack F. Gose. Another eminent democrat appeared in this election as candidate for joint councilman, M. M. Godman of Dayton. He was chosen in the district but not in Garfield County.
The woman suffrage amendment had been declared unconstitutional by Judge W. G. Langford, and hence the vote for 1888 fell to 977. This was the year of the triumph of John B. Allen over Charles S. Voorhees for delegate, in the Territory as well as county.
The county officers chosen were M. F. Gose, attorney, by one majority; George W. Campbell, auditor; Gilbert Dickson, sheriff; G. D. Wilson, assessor; I. C. Sanford, treasurer; Benjamin Butler, probate judge; David Miller, J. S. Davis, and J. Fitzsimmons, commissioners; H. C. Benbow, superintendent of schools; Hayden Gearhardt, surveyor, and G. W. Black, coroner.
And now we reach the most important and interesting date in the history of the blushing young Territory of Washington, when she became a "sweet girl graduate" and stepped upon the platform to receive her diploma as a full grown state, 1889. Like all other counties, Garfield was agog with excitement over the great event and there was quite a boiling in the pot over the choice of delegates to the Constitutional convention. The enabling act provided that the territory be divided into twenty-five districts, each entitled to three delegates, of whom only two could be of one party. District number 8 embraced Adams, Garfield, Asotin, and Franklin counties. On May 7, 1889, the district convention of republicans met at Pomeroy to nominate candidates for the Constitutional convention. I. N. Muncy of Pasco was chosen chairman, and G. W. Bailey of Asotin secretary. The nominees were Elmon Scott of Garfield County and D. Buchanan of Adams. The democratic convention also met at Pomeroy and nominated W. B. Gray of Franklin County. A peculiar turn took place in this election, and the narration of it brings forward the name of one of the most respected citizens of the county and subsequently of the state, S. G. Cosgrove, afterwards Governor Of Washington. Owing to dissension in the republican ranks, Mr. Cosgrove became an independent candidate. W. A. George and F. W. D. Mays, both democrats, also became independent candidates. The upshot of the matter was that democrats threw their votes largely to Cosgrove, and, as a result, Scott, Gray and Cosgrove became delegates to the Constitutional convention.