RESULTS OF ELECTIONS
Asotin County, like others of its group, and in fact the entire state, is normally republican. But to its great credit, be it said, the county is independent, and the boss has a very uncertain tenure. We have seen from the act organizing the county that the three commissioners named were empowered to name the county officers, to serve until the general election of 1884. In pursuance of their duties the commissioners, Messrs. Critchfield, Swain, and Weisenfels, at their first formal meeting on November 14, 1883, appointed the following county officials: J. L. Vinson, sheriff; H. Wamsley, assessor; S. S. Bennett, probate judge; Charles Goodwin, superintendent of schools; J. J. Kanawyer, treasurer; J. O'Keefe, surveyor; A. J. Allen, coroner; S. T. Jones, sheep commissioner; G. S. Rogers, auditor. By reason of the declination of Mr. O'Keefe, Mr. Allen, and Mr. Jones, M. S. Kling, J. M. Robison, and R. Tuttle, were appointed to fill the places of surveyor, coroner and sheep commissioner respectively.
Much interest was felt in the first general election of 1884, and the republicans and democrats marshalled their respective hosts in the usual convention formation. It was in that election that the territorial law providing for woman suffrage first came into play, and in that election, November 4, 1884, about 80 of the 500 votes were cast by women. The results of the election were as follows: J. M. Armstrong, republican, for Congress, 266 to 226 for C. S. Voorhees, democrat; joint councilman for the counties of Columbia, Garfield and Asotin, B. B. Day, republican, 269 to 252 for C. H. Warner, democrat; joint councilman for the counties of Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, Asotin, Whitman, Adams and Franklin counties, I. Carson, republican, 252 to 211 for S. L. Gilbreath, democrat; joint representative for Asotin and Garfield counties, J. A. Perkins, republican, 210 to 193 for M. C. Harris, democrat; joint prosecuting attorney for Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties, R. F. Sturdevant, republican, without opposition; county commissioners, G. B. Wardwell, A. J. Sherrod, and H. W. Ward, the first two republicans, the last a democrat; probate judge, R. A. Case, republican; auditor, H. E. Benedict, republican; treasurer, D. J. Wann, republican; sheriff, J. L. Vinson, democrat; assessor, J. A. Weisenfels, democrat; coroner, J. J. Lewis, republican; superintendent of schools, Angie Bean, republican; surveyor, A. Schrader, republican; sheep commissioner, W. R. Tuttle, republican. Rather curiously, considering that there were as yet no churches in the county, there was a vote on taxing church property, a general question, of course. The vote was, affirmative, 158; negative, 214.
It will be seen that of the successful candidates above, the large majority were republican, though the votes were very variable.
The outcome of the election of 1886 was similar to that of 1884. C. M. Bradshaw, republican, led C. S. Voorhees, democrat, though the latter was the choice of the territory. O. C. White, republican, led W. E. Ayers, democrat, for joint councilman. R. A. Case, republican, defeated D. H. Poyneer, democrat, for the house. W. N. Noffsinger, republican, for joint attorney, lost by one vote to L. J. Dittmore, democrat.
For the county officers the choices were: A. Stiffel for sheriff; H. E. Benedict for auditor; Jackson O'Keefe for treasurer; J. L. Vinson for probate judge; J. A. Weisenfels for assessor; Mrs. S. E. Morrill for superintendent of schools; H. C. Fulton for coroner; A. Schrader for surveyor; W. R. Tuttle for sheep commissioners; M. Scully, J. D. Swain and G. B. Wardwell for commissioners. Of the above, Messrs. O'Keefe, Vinson, Weisenfels and Mrs. Morrill were democrats; the others republicans.
The election of 1888 shows a considerable diminution in the vote, due to the invalidating of the woman suffrage law. In this election John B. Allen triumphed for delegate to congress over C. S. Voorhees, and the result was the same in the territory. D. T. Welch and W. S. Oliphant, republicans, were chosen to the council and lower house of the legislature. The county candidates chosen were A. Stiffel for sheriff; H. E. Benedict for auditor; Edward Knox, G. W. Philips, and Frank Huber, for commissioners; W. N. Noffsinger for joint attorney; G. A. Rogers for probate judge; J. O'Keefe for treasurer; W. R. Tuttle for assessor; W. W. Henry for superintendent of schools; D. Carson for surveyor; Len Henry for coroner; James Fuller for sheep commissioner. The democrats carried a larger proportion of the county offices than before, Messrs. O'Keefe, Henry, Carson, Philips, and Huber being of that political persuasion.
The great year of admission to statehood, 1889, had now arrived, Asotin County was part of District No. 8, of which Adams, Garfield, and Franklin were the others. Elmon Scott, D. Buchanan, and W. B. Gray were the ones designated in Asotin County, though, as related in the history of Garfield County, S. G. Cosgrove, running as an independent, was chosen in the district instead of Buchanan.
VIEW FROM LEWISTON-ASOTIN HIGHWAY