A special election occurred on October 1, 1889, for the purpose of accepting or rejecting the Constitution, choosing state officers, and voting on location of state capital, woman suffrage and prohibition.
The results in part were these: For Congress, J. L. Wilson, republican, 172; Thomas Griffiths, democrat, 124; for governor, E. P. Ferry, republican, 171 to 125 for Eugene Semple, democrat; for joint senator, C. G. Austin, republican, and for representative, William Farrish, republican. The county clerk was the only local officer named at that election. John Dill, a republican, was chosen. The vote of the county was heavily against the Constitution, 201 to 83. Woman suffrage lost by 97 to 173. Prohibition lost by 113 to 147. Ellensburg received a majority for state capital, Olympia getting but five votes. It thus appears that on those special questions at the first election after statehood, Asotin County was on the losing side in every one.
In the campaign of 1890 the prohibitionists became an active factor and in one way or another their proposition was held before the people until in 1914 adherents of all parties joined in the state-wide law and it was passed by strong majorities. But for many years the party was small and weak.
The vote of Asotin County in 1890 was small, there being for congressman only 266. For congressman, John L. Wilson was again successful. William Farrish was again chosen representative to the state legislature. The local choices were these: James Justus for sheriff; Jackson O'Keefe for treasurer; O. Gilmore, R. R. Van Ausdale, and W. H. Smith, commissioners; D. T. Welch for clerk; William Rogers for assessor; H. E. Benedict for auditor; D. W. Savage for superintendent of schools. Of the elected, Messrs. Rogers, Benedict, Welch, Van Ausdale, Gilmore and Justus were republicans, and Messrs. Smith, Savage, and O'Keefe were democrats.
The election of 1892 was the first presidential election in which the State of Washington took part, and, of course, interest was great. It was also the year of a full state election. The strenuous times and many mooted questions and new affiliations and realignments of men and parties made the election one of momentous concern in every unit of political organization. The result in Asotin County, as in the state, showed that the republicans were still in the saddle. For President, the republicans won, 194 to 148 for the democrats, 18 for the people's party, and 16 for the prohibitionists. John L. Wilson was chosen by a scanty plurality for Congress, and John H. McGraw by a somewhat larger plurality for governor. For representative, William Farrish was chosen again by 234 to 135 for his democratic competitor.
The county candidates chosen were: G. C. Perciful, attorney; D. T. Welch for clerk; L. B. Howard for treasurer; H. E. Benedict for auditor; George Kinnear, for assessor; J. L. Wormell for sheriff; D. S. Jennings for superintendent of schools; M. S. Kling for surveyor; W. H. Smith and Robert Sangster for commissioners.
The remarkable feature of the election of 1894 was the entrance into state and national, and of course local politics, of the populist or people's party, and its sweeping, though short-lived successes. The leaders of this party in Asotin County were Peter Maguire, W. J. Boggan, B. W. Knox, G. C. Perciful, L. K. Brown, John Weisenfels, and J. B. Dick. Politics were rendered something of a chaos by this movement, and viewed in the retrospect the student of the present can recognize in that fact infinite cause for gratitude. There is nothing so essential to political education as occasional radical upheavals. The populist movement was a sign of political thought by the masses, and it was a cause of the overthrow of "regular" rule—i. e., boss rule—and the beginnings of a new democratization—and that is just about the direction whither the world of 1917, with blood and anguish, and ultimate new vision, is tending. The result of the election of 1894 in Asotin County for two congressmen in the three-cornered conflict was that Hyde and Doolittle, republicans, had 165 and 166 votes to 162 and 165 for Van Patten and Adams, populists. The democrats were badly in the rear with only 52 and 51. C. C. Gibson, a populist, was chosen to the legislature. For county offices: J. L. Wormell for sheriff; George Kinnear for assessor; D. T. Welch, auditor; J. W. King, clerk; D. S. Jennings, superintendent of schools; George Burger, surveyor; L. Woodruff, coroner; L. B. Howard, treasurer; Robert Sangster and Frank Huber, commissioners. Of those chosen, Messrs. Kinnear, Woodruff, and Huber were of the people's party. Messrs. Welch, King, Jennings, Burger, and Sangster were republicans. Mr. Wormell and Mr. Howard were democrats.
With another presidential year of 1896, there was even more intense interest. The populists were apparently stronger than ever. The democrats hardly entered the field at all. There was a marked increase in the vote of the county, reaching almost five hundred.
In the presidential contest the result was victory for the people's party by 254 to 214 for the republican. The P. P. candidates for Congress, J. H. Lewis and W. C. Jones, obtained 252 to 216 and 211 respectively for Hyde and Doolittle, republicans. For governor, John R. Rogers, P. P., led Sullivan by thirty. For joint senator, Edward Baumeister, republican, led J. C. Van Patten by ten majority. R. W. Caywood, P. P., for representative defeated D. T. Welch by nine. For county officials: G. W. Kinnear, P. P., for sheriff; J. W. King, republican, for clerk; Elmer Waldrip, republican, for auditor; W. S. Rogers, republican, treasurer; Lee Williams, P. P., attorney; H. A. Whiton, P. P., assessor; Hallie E. Robinson, P. P., superintendent of schools; George Burger, republican, surveyor; John Steele, republican, coroner; Frank Huber, P. P., and Samuel Downen, republican, commissioners.