By Susanna Ray
Herald Writer
OLYMPIA – A black Snohomish settler upstaged Confederate President Jefferson Davis Friday at the state Capitol.
The House voted unanimously to name Highway 99 after William Stewart, a Union solider in the Civil War who later moved to Snohomish, where he is buried in the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery.
Friday’s vote was a major step in state Rep. Hans Dunshee’s plan to remove an old marker designating the road Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway No. 99. The United Daughters of the Confederacy erected the monument at the Peace Arch border crossing in September 1940 to note the end of a cross-country, patchwork memorial road that started in Virginia at the Potomac River in 1913.
Dunshee, a Snohomish Democrat, first noticed the marker last summer after a kayaking trip to Canada. He said he was outraged that the highway was named after Davis, who supported slavery, and so he wants the monument removed and the road renamed after Stewart.
The obituary printed in the newspaper upon Stewart’s death in 1907 called him “a highly respected colored pioneer of this city” and said that during the 18 years he had lived in Snohomish, he had “gained a warm place in the affections of the people.”
“His commitment to Snohomish County stands today through his family,” Rep. Aaron Reardon, D-Everett, said during floor debate, while three of Stewart’s relatives looked on from the visitor’s gallery.
The Stewarts were one of the first black families to move to Snohomish County in the early 1880s. Today, more than 20 of his descendants still live here.
They said they drive on Highway 99 routinely – most of it was replaced by I-5 in the ’60s, but the remaining portion still runs through Everett as Everett Mall Way – and were shocked to find out it was named after Davis.
They want the highway renamed, but “not because of him and what he did,” said Marilyn Quincy of Everett, Stewart’s great-granddaughter.
She said she was aware that Davis, as a prominent U.S. politician before the war, had been instrumental in developing highways in this state. “But when people hear his name, they think of it being associated with the Confederacy.”
And the Confederacy, to many, is associated with slavery.
When the bill passed the House Transportation Committee, there was only one “no” vote: Rep. Tom Mielke, R-Battle Ground.
Mielke said he objected because he felt the issue “was presented in a very prejudiced, racist way, and that’s not what this is about,” but he decided to support it Friday because the tone had become more positive.
“I can definitely honor William P. Stewart,” he said. “I’m still opposed to removing the Jefferson Davis monument.”
So is Suzanne Silek, president general of the 20,000-member United Daughters of the Confederacy.
It’s not like the South imposed its views on this state, Silek said.
“It was the Washington state ladies who spearheaded this effort,” she said. The United Daughters of the Confederacy raised $282 to erect the two granite markers with state officials’ blessing – quite a chunk of change back in 1940. At the time, there were six chapters here. Now there’s just one left, with 32 members.
Dunshee said Friday he is relieved the bill is headed to the Senate.
“Hopefully, things will settle down now about this,” Dunshee said.
His office was swamped with hundreds of e-mails and phone calls, mostly from irate Southerners, after The Herald’s initial news story was circulated via Web sites and picked up by other news organizations. Some of the messages were threatening.
The proposal is expected to face some opposition in the Senate.
But Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, said she saw no reason why she wouldn’t support it in her Transportation Committee.
“I don’t know exactly which state Jefferson Davis is from, but I wonder how many roads down there are named after someone from Washington,” Haugen said. “We have so many outstanding people in this state, I don’t see why we have to go outside it to find people to name roads after.”
Political Postscript: A bill dealing with Sept. 11 and authored by three Snohomish High School students has passed the Senate. SB 6650 would honor the victims of the terrorist attacks by encouraging schools to observe annual moments of silence. Sen. Paull Shin, D-Mukilteo, sponsored the bill written for a class assignment by Peter Hennessy, Daniel Marx and Jim Musladin. This is the furthest a bill written by teacher Tuck Gionet’s students has ever gotten.
It’s likely now that law enforcement officers will be able to stop and ticket people for not buckling up in Washington. Both the House and Senate have passed identical bills making seat belt usage a primary enforcement law. As it is now, police can only ticket unbuckled motorists if they stop them for something else, such as speeding. Rep. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, is the sponsor of the House version of the bill, which he’s tried to get through for several years. All of Snohomish County’s representatives voted “yes,” except Rep. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe. Opponents worry about infringing on people’s rights, but Lovick, a State Patrol sergeant, said he believes the plan will save lives and money.
You can call Herald Writer Susanna Ray at 360-586-3803
or send e-mail to ray@heraldnet.com.
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