The Tacoma Times, Tacoma, WA, January 16, 1917
Olympia, Jan. 16 — Great commotion was caused on the floor of the senate this morning when Senators Howard Taylor of King and Tom Brown of Whatcom engaged in a fist fight.
Brown had accused Taylor of trying to make himself “King of the Senate,” and had made other accusations against him.
Taylor had offered Brown “to go Into the ante-room and repeat what he said, but Brown had refused, saying that he would repent his accusations on the floor.
Taylor reached over Brown’s desk and struck him a resounding whack full in the face.
Brown swung back with both fists. Then, as Brown lifted a cane to strike, the two were separated by the senators.
While the fight was in progress, Senator Fairchild called for the sergeant-at-arms, but he was nowhere to be found.
The fight was the outcome of debate on a dairy and livestock bill, providing for the killing of dogs found with rabies, introduced by Brown as a committee bill.
Taylor objected, saying that the committee had never met or approved the measure, and that his
approval, as a member of the committee, had never been obtained.
“If the gentleman from King is to be the great. ‘I am’ of this senate,” said Brown, “I am ready to resign right here and go back home.”
“I have no objections to the gentleman from Whatcom taking his spleen out on me,” Taylor said in reply.
Taylor challenged Brown to go out in the ante-room and repeat what he had said.
“I’ll repeat what I said right here,” Brown replied, and before the senators knew what had happened, Taylor swung, striking a hard blow with the palm of his hand on Brown’s face.
Brown lost his balance. Recovering himself, he lifted a heavy cane and was about to strike, when the two were separated.
“I suppose I should not have done it,” said Taylor after the fight was over. “But I am tired of being made the brunt of everybody’s attacks.”
While blows were being exchanged In the senate chamber and Floor Leader Taylor was being called a “Great I Am,” Paul Houser in the house was calling Floor Leader Mark Reed a “czar” and was accusing him of ordering the committee on printing to kill the bill providing for printing the house journal each day.
Houser accused the organization of graft in fixing it each session so that records are doctored up after the session Is ended and members have gone home.