The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-06

great political sangerfest at Olympia the
maSterful harmony entitled Spokane for
Spokane county. first. last and all the
time, will scarcely be in ii.
The lesser dissonance is TO be referred to
| causes two years old and the greater to the
| false position respecting state interests, in
| which the Turner men, aiding and abettng
the OrcgoRiaR clique, have put the Wilson,
ties. In adopting resolutions favoring the
| extension of the Columbia improve
ments TO the prejudice of all other river
| and haroor Improvements in the state
| of Washington, the Wilson Turner Spo-
kane convention simply played into the
hand of Portland. This resolution says.
| in short, that until the Columbia river
/ shall have been opened no river or harbor
| in Washington need apply for aid. 1t says
| between the lines that the Oreq0nidn and
Rerictc will oppose any Washington SEN
| ator who declines 70 set the general inter-
| ests of Washington aside until. by virtue
| OF an open river 70 the mouth of the Snake.
| Portland shall have asserted her control Of
! the wheat product and her commercial
supremacy in Eastern Washington.
Ana this Is the declaration of principle
| the Turner and Wilson men, one set
clamoring for United States senator. the
other for a congressman, are to present TO
the Republican convention. Is it TO be
wondered at that. in calm retrospect of
their county convention and closer
analysis of the OrcgoHidR resolution. both
sets discover that they have been duped.
The Spokesman, " hich is a Wilson organ, and
which has been enlisted on the side of Mr..
Turner in the senatorial fight, resents the
imputation that Turner is opposed to the
Lake Union canal. It assumes in his de-
fense that King county is forcing the fight
on the ship canal proposition, entirely
overlooking the fact that it was the Re-
rielc and the Oregonian and the Tacoma
Ledger. the champions of Mr.. Turner's
candidacy that began the war on Senator
Allen because he had favored the ship
canal.
Aside from this slight trihing with the
facts of the situation, the Spokesman, In
no uncertain terms, prociaims its stand re-
spectlng state improvements. 1t says:
Spokane has no animosity To King; they
have always been friends and worked to-
gether. Their chief cities are to be united
by direct railroad, and this city (Spo-
kane) would naturally look for closer
trade relations with Seattle than any
town on the Sound. Spokane cares moth
ing for Portland. She recognizes that
that every blow struck at that town is =
blow in the favor of Washington"
Now, this diversion OF the Spokesman is
clear indication of the plight in which
both Wilson and Turner find themselves,
as the result of the combination they made
with the Reriep. The very same editorial
| defends Turner to such an extent that it
says 1T might be wise before attacking
Judge Turner's candidacy on the canal
| score, to find out if he would go to Wash
ington City as the enemy of Seattle" In
asmuch as the Spokesman puts this very
serious question TO its own candidate, Mr..
Turner, it seems fit that he should answer
it in the Spokesman. Up to date, he GER
tainly poses for the combined policy of the
Oregoniaa. ReuieV and Ledger, which is, in
brief, TO discredt the canal scheme as
local undertaking inimicai to the scheme
of an open river. 1t does not seem
possible that Turner and Wilson can
explain TO the satisfaction of the people OF
this state why they should have joined
hands with Portland as against all neces-
sary and possible Improvements on Puget
sound and the sea coast of the state. How
ever, in this direction they are employing
every ingenuity, and by sacrifice of some
relations. they may succeed In restoring
themselves to public favor.
The curious development of the con-
troversy which the Reriew began is the
fact that it has been demanding that the
Washington senators pursue course re-
specting the Columbia improvements
which the Oregon senators themselves,
with all their devotion to the project of an
open river, have failed to persist in.
For example, the Repieo and Orcgonian,
of the Spokane county resolution,
have maintained that such are to be the
benefits OF an open Columbia that the
Washington senators should have aban-
doned all other projects of river and har-
Dor improvements in the state of WASH
ington until the lower Columbia work, at
least, is finished. The idea of this argu-
ment Is that every dollar diverted To Puget
sound and coast Improvements is a dollar
taken from the Columbia estimates. That
is to say, in the river and harbor bill a GER
tain amount of money IS scheduled for the
state of Washington proportionate to its
population and pretenses, and this amount
should be devoted wholly TO the boat rail-
way scheme, the Cascade locks. etc. The
luminferous Ledger falls into the same
egregious blunder in attempting to miti-
gate the severity of its spleen against King
county.
Let us se how the record confirms all
| this. In the last session of congress, not
withstanding that the Senate had twice
passed "A boat railway bill. and that il was
favorably reported on by the House COM
mittee, the Oregon men presented esti-
mates for improvements on Coos bay,
! Ore, which were to cost In round figures
| s., 500 900, sum equal to what is needed
! 10 complete the ship canal. An in
| vestigation of the commercial statistics
| during all time has not equaled the
| business of Seattle for six months of its
| existence. Auinve stigation of the census
shows that the entire population of Coos
| bay is less than the total of registered
votes in Seattle. Yet pending final delib-
eratiOns on the ailway bill, and at a time
! when the Oregon senators might have
| introduced il as "a rider on the river and
| harbor bill. as they did this year when the
| ship canal appropriation was added To it,
| they secured for Coos bay the sum of $780,
/ 0O0. Moreover, in the present river and
| har Dor bill. they obtained $4,000. which
was $4,000 in excess of the amount asked
/ for the beginning of work on the ship
| canal.
IL may be sked. therefore. OF these en-
| thusiastic and unselhsh supporters of tho
/ open river scheme, if the Oregon senators
can in two years, during which the boat
railway scheme is allowed to langush.
I a -