The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-01-09
OC0STA BOOM IS FLAT.
Northern Pacific Attorney Con-
fers With Mr.. Calkins.
SQUIRE COLUMN lMMovABLE.
Utter Failure of Attempt to Set the
Senator's Friends Quarreling.
Gen. Ewing, Who Wanted to Bet
s25o,ooO on CaIkins, Returns Home
Gov. Laughton's Message Makes q
Good Impression-Bills introduced.


Good Impression-Biils introduced.
OLYMPIA, Jan. Especial. l-s'General"
Ewing returned TO Seattle this afternoon,
ana the senatorial tight has lost large
share OF Its amusing features. General"
Ewing generally attracts crowd around
him wherever he is, and delights them with
his unique stories and personal reminiscen-
ces, garnished with the choicest adjectives
IN his copious vocabulary The general has
made many friends among the Tacoma
people during his stay, and they witness
his departure with extreme regret. He
viii probably return.
An incident of interest and good deal
of significance has given the senatorial
matter new turn. Mr.. James ". Ashton,
attorney for the Northern Pacific railroad,
came to Olympia night before last, and
went to the Olympia hotel. He refused
to register, giving some excuse to the clerk.
Soon after his arrival be had a conference
with Mr.. Calkins and slept that night in
room No. 2, attached to the Calkins suite.
The matter has gone abroad, and much in
quiry is being made by members as to the
object of Mr.. Ashton's visit. Doubtless
Mr.. Ashton has perfect right to come to
Olympia and talk to Mr.. Caikins or any
other man, but his refusal to register his
name and his evident desire to have his
identity unknown, are very puzzling. to
say the least. Nelson Bennett has arrived
from Tacoma and is working for Calkins.
Like Mr.. Ewing, he denies that he is
dark horse for senator, but says he is ami
mated solely by an unselnsh desire to see
Mr.. Calkins elected United States senator.
A group of the King county delegation
was tonight engaged in discussing the late
speakership contest, and expressing their
satisfaction at the unanimity with which
the House elected Shaw, an open Squire
man. 81 think the exact nature of the
contest has been misunderstood" said
Representative De Steiguer. 1.-The Calk-
ins crowd has done its utmost to make it
appear that the Squire men were in seri-
Gus trouble, and that they feared
to support either Shaw, Candy or
Plummer, because the two others
would be disgruntied and would withdraw
their support for Senator Squire. The
attitude of DR.. Candy, in par ticular, has
been misrepresented, and he is declared to
have held his vote for senator and that of
his delegation over the heads of King
county to force the delegation to support
him. The fact is, DIR. Candy is loyal
Squire man. He had fiattering chances
for election as speaker, and he made q
clean, manly fight. He withdrew because
he saw the enemies of Senator Squire were
attempting to make capital out of the con-
test"
That's correct" joined in MIR. Grant.
81 know that DR.. Candy retired from the
contest in the interest of harmony, and
for no other reason"
81 am extremely sorry that the Calkins
people should have thought it necessary
to impugn DR.. Gandy's motives in such
fragrant manner" said Mr.. J. 81. McGraw,
che has been gratuitously and unneces-
sarily represented as being willing to
repudiate Senator Squire. There was no
possible warrant for such an assumption.
DR.. Candy is Squire man, and has never
been otherwise"
The Candy incident very well illustrates
the ruthless methods of the Calkins people
in needlessly involving the good name and
fame of an upright represen tatiye when
ever they think there is chance to score
a point. This particular attempt was
foiled by the good judgment of the three
candidates for speaker, and by their 10y
atty to Senator Squire.
Every day increases the confidence of the
Squire men. 1t is apparent that the oppo-
sition is making no headway, and the time
has passed when there was the slightest
danger of involving the senatorial contest
with other matters. The fight now
is TO retain the present strength and
success is practically certain. The express
sion everywhere is that Squire has long
lead, and the conviction is general that he
will be elected on the first ballot, with a
number of votes to spare. The election is
twelve days in the future. and the chances
of Squire gaining accessions from the
minority are in reality much
better than the chances of the ma
jority being weakened by desertions
to the minority. 1t can be asserted with
truth that Senator Squire's supporters at
this time are clear majority of all the
members of the legislature. The combined
opposition cannot prevail against him.
freSluenL w llSOu HIS HcdIiy COlI plSteu
his list of the standing committees of the
Senate. There are enough committees to
give every senator a chairmAnship, and
some two. King county will probably get
two important chairmanships, Kinnear. as
chairman of the judiciary committee, and
Forrest, on revenue and taxation. Van
Houten, of Spokane. will probably be
chairman of the committee on corpora
tions. The committees Will be announced
tomorrow.
Speaker Shaw is already hard at work on
his list of committees. The select COM
mittee appointed today will tomorrow re-
commend that there be forty-one standing
committees They are about the same as
at the last legislature, but new commit
tee on commerce, one on manufactures
and another on agricultural college and
school OF science are created. The speaker
will probably be ready 10 announce his
committees next Monday.
Governor Langhton delivered his bien-
NAL message to the houses in joint session
this afternoon. There was a full attend
ance of members, and the number Of spec
tators in the lobby was unusually large.
The delivery of the message occupied ex-
actIy two hours. Governor Laughton has
an ennneiation remarkably clear and force
full, and he commanded the close attention
of all listeners during the entire time of
delivery. He was frequently interrupted
by applause. His exeoriation Of the gov
ernneut land department for its siothfui