This day in history: Spokane City Council agreed to sell pound dogs and cats for research; Coolidge vetoed compensation to Colville tribe

From 1975: In an “emotion-packed” meeting, the Spokane City Council approved a controversial proposal to sell at least 500 stray dogs and an undetermined number of cats to Washington State University’s Veterinary Clinical Medicine and Surgery.

“I’m shocked that this council would even consider selling dogs into slavery,” said one audience member. “It would be a thousand times better to put them to sleep.”

WSU planned to pay the city $15 per dog and $5 per cat.

Del Schroeder, board president of the Spokane Humane Society, said that giving or selling any dog or cat to a clinic was against the principles of the humane society. He called it “laboratory experimentation.”

Dr. John Alexander, chairman of the WSU clinic, said the animals would be cared for and treated humanely. Only dogs “unclaimed and scheduled to be destroyed” would be supplied to the clinic.

After much discussion, the proposal was approved on a 4-3 vote.

From 1925: President Calvin Coolidge vetoed a congressional bill that would have paid tribes on the Colville and Okanogan reservations $6.5 million in compensation for lost land claims.

Coolidge said, “It does not seem fair to the government at this time to undertake to litigate claims of such an ancient origin.” He added it was past the statute of limitations.

An attorney for the tribes said he did not think this was Coolidge’s definitive action on the proposal, and he still held out hope.