Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-09-03
"sLY, DEysLIsH Sly,
| Yakima Sional1


The railroad company's politicians
nave their heads together. not only in
Yakima, but throughout the Territory.
Some of thers stontly deny that there is
any desire TO control in the selec ion OF
the members of the next Legislature
and the Delegate to Congress, and the
Tacoma Ledger protests against allow
ing this matter to cut any figure in Ter
ritorial politics. At the same time
sly effort is made to see that every
man put forward is one of their num-
Der. Just prior to the Territorial Con.
vention, which was called at Dayton for
the selection Of delegates to the Repub-
lican Convention at Chicago, the Ledger
declared that IL would be very improper
indeed to endanger the harmony OF the
Republican party in this Territory by
allowing the forfeiture question to be
considered at Dayton. U. no! it would
oe fairly ruinous, as il had no proper
connection with that assemblape: and
yet, according to careful ANALYSIS
made by the Signal soon after the Day-
ton conventions adj ,urncd, IL was found
that the assemblage was made up al
most entirely of opponents of forfeiture
aud that the chairman, secretaries and
committeeman were selected with care
ful reference to their standing upon this
important question:! This is a sly meth.
Cd OF carrying the point aimed by the
oompany's politicians.
with feigned inn0t ence the Ledger
says: "rhe absurdity of the charge that
the Northern Pacific is trying to infiu-
enee the election of delegate could
not be more plainly indicated than
through the talk of some of the Terri
torial papers. Each has a particular
man whom it has marked az the rail
road tool, and yet not one ef these pa
pers has put forward one iota of proof
to show that the Northern Pacific either
cares who is elected, or has any use for
him when he takes his seat in Con
gress. Ii is about time this dema
RoRuery was exploded"
Why, sure enough How very, very
"absurd" it is to suppose that rail
road company is trying to exert An in
huence in politics Who ever heard of
such thing And then the failure of
the opposition press to put forward
one iota of proof" that the Company
has any use for the Delegate TO Congress
when he takes his seat This is indeed
serious omission on the part of the
anti-moDopoly press. The idea that
railroad company, which stands in great
danger of losing Its land grant, or hav-
iBR the price of its lands at least re-
duced from ten or twenty dollars an
acre to two dollars and sixty cents. has
any use for friend in Congress from
this Territory, il absolutely preposter-
Gus IL Is equally "absurd" to sup
pose that this benevolent COMPANY (as
Mr.. Willard called id would desire to
control in the selection of members of
the Legislature, Prosecuting ATTORNEYS,
County Commissioner and other ofh
GERS. The last Legislature passed An
act exempting tbe COMPANY from taxa
tion, and refused TO pass a memorial to
Congress in favor of forfeiting unearn-
ed lands, and IN several of the counties
suits are pending against the company
To compel IL to pay its share Of the pub
feels no interest in such matters as
these, and wJuld not even think of in
teresting itself in the various officers
whose duty IL IL to deal with these mat
ters The Ledger refers to the anti
monopolists as "these blooming re-
formers" and says that they heap IN
suits upon good men which are almost
insuferabie." This is all very sad.
Why are unscrupulous agents sent
around to bribe newspapers, and gain
undue advantages over the people
Why are free passes furnished to dele
gates to conventions, to members of tue
Legislature. and others who stand in a
position 20 subserve the railroad inter
ests Surely the Ledger Is mistaken
about the railroad element feeling no
interest in sur Territorial politics.