Notes
Roger found this very apropos document in storage at the museum. It is the tally sheet from the June 7, 1886 general election from the Hood River district of Wasco County. No hanging chads back then, as the ballots from the Hood River valley were tallied manually. Hood River wouldn't have a city until 1895, a county until 1908, or women's suffrage until 1912, but in 1884 182 local men cast votes for Oregon's lone congressional seat, governor, and other important statewide and local offices.
Republican Binger Herman defeated Democrat N. L. Butler to represent Oregon in Congress, and Democrat Sylvester Pennoyer defeated Republican Thomas Cornelius to become the 8th Governor of Oregon.
As best as I can follow from the handful of newspapers which are around from those days, the issue in the gubernatorial race was whether Pennoyer was truly the enemy of corporations and friend of the working man, or a shill. He promised to protect America jobs from Chinese immigrant labor, which apparently carried the day.
I'll note this ballot included a Blackburn, McBride, Johnson, and Thompson, as does tomorrow's ballot.
If you've already mailed in your ballot your vote is queued up to be counted. You can drop off your ballot up until 8PM tomorrow to be part of our long democratic tradition.
Category: [Downtown Hood River]
Comments
Binger Herman,... sounds like a German name. Thanks Charlott for the history. Never heard of him, but looked him up. Some interesting history during that time with rumors of scandal and corruption which seemed to infiltrate our election process immediately after the writers of the constitution signed a document they had worked so hard to write.
Washington is still a territory during this time.
L.E. on 7th November 2016 @ 8:12am
Oh look Arthur. We already have corruption. I posted my comment after Charlotte.
L.E. on 7th November 2016 @ 8:14am
He was an attorney and very involved in politics, serving in both Oregon houses and at the federal level. He was somehow involved in the Oregon land fraud scandal of 1904. He did go to trial, but it was a hung jury and never was re-tried. FDR exhonerated him in post humously.
He was the son of an immigrant doctor from Germany that had settled in Maryland prior to coming to Oregon.
When the WWII Liberty ships were being built one was named for him in 1943.
Charlott on 7th November 2016 @ 8:16am
LE, my site doesn't do daylight saving time automatically so I have to remember to change the time zone twice a year. Because of that 7-8AM happened twice this morning and you got to slip in behind Charlott the second time through.
Arthur on 7th November 2016 @ 12:09pm
Someone should count the hashtags to make sure the totals are correct. :-)
Ellen on 8th November 2016 @ 8:27am