The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-26

OLYMPIA. Aug. 25. - Especial. l. The
Democratic state convention has adopted
plank singing out the Lake Washington
ship canal from other public Improve
ments and specifically denouncing it and
denouncing Senators John Il. Allen and
watson {. Squire and Congressman John
l.. Wilson for favoring it. On Wednesday
evening Pierce county had carried the con-
yention with her in her hatred of King,
and had passed such plank. At the last
moment. however, the vote had been re-
considered, and a miserable compromise
was spread upon the platform condemn
ing the outlay of public money for private
enterprise. During the night and early
morning the skillful generals in Pierce
again formed their lines and re-made their
combinations with the friends of DR.. \. G.
Blalock, b. F. Shaw and G. III. Waruer,
candidates for governor, to beat King
county.
The King county delegates. with sure
defeat staring them in the face, at last
united in loyalty to Seattle; threw away
their cowardly compromise accepted the
night before, took up a resolution une-
quivocally indorsing the canal and waged
WIG Dottfc 10 tlc Dltter en0.
James Hamilton Lewis, who had 17s
votes. a majority. promised to him for
governor, took them to Henry Drum, of
Pierce. and offered him the nomination
for governor if he would stand on plat:
form recognizing the canal as public i'm
prevement. Drum refused. Lewis then
offered the nomination to any man who
would take it on such platform. but the
hour was too late. Pierce county had
marshaled her forces and the ranks could
not be broken.
King county made a gallant struggle on
the floor of the convention. L. C. Gilman,
J. L. Ronald and F. A. Mcdonald made
strong speeches for the canal. King stub
bornly resisted through vote after vote on
amendments. But Pierce county was in
exorable In her hostility, and the Democ-
racy of the state of Washington has heart
lily Joined her, has spat upon King county
and smtten her in the face.
The King county delegates were hot
with indignation at the insults heaped
upon them by Pierce, and in the recess
following the adoption of the platform the
question of Withdrawing from the con-
vention was seriously discussed. The
decision was to remain, but to
take no part except to
vote and reward friends and
punish enemies. King county it was that
elected II. J. Snively for governor Were
any evidence needed that the efforts of the
enemies of James Hamilton Lewis in
King county had been ineffective in break
ing his personal following before the con-
vention, that evidence was furnished by the
ballot for governor. The haters of Lewis
had joined the haters of King county and
had succeeded in swinging the Eastern
Washington counties against the canal
Lewis then gladly refused the NOM
ination for governor on the plat
form "Down with Seattle" hut he
was still able to rally nearly all
of his strength for his ablest champion in
the convention, II. J. Snively, of Yakima.
Snively received l59 votes on the first bal
lot. nearly the same vote that King
county had received in her afternoon
fight. Snively was then SO far ahead of
either Blalock or Shaw, the other candi-
dates, that the convention broke an d
went over to him unanimously.
The utter decentralization wrought in
the convention by Pierce's policy of
pounding King to jelly is shown by the
present attitude of Plerce's two allies,
DIR. Blalock and Colonel Shaw. In
order to beat the canal Pierce
peddled her roses to both sides of these
candidates for governor, and when the
ballot came she had-to split and give half
IS each. Other counties promised by
Pierce to the anti-canal combine
went to Snively. so both Of
Pierce's allies are now raginj
Pierce. and the friends of both threaten to
repay her treachery by taking up again
the anti-canal plank and amending it so
that J. T. Ronald, of King, who re-
fused the second nomination for congress,
can accept. 1t is. however, hardly possi-
bic that this step will be taken. King
county, SO Pierce says, must take its
medicine.
The disruption Of the party has led half
a dozen other candidate, to refuse to
allow their names to be presented. Il. B.
Giascock, of Lincoln, drew out Of
the race for lieutenant governor, and
yet there was scarcely any opposition to
him. John B. Slater, of Stevens, also
candidate for the nomination, had been
with King county In the canal fight. but
Pierce won him with apromise OF support.
Now that an Eastern Washington man
gets the gubernatorial nomination, Slater
is wholly out and nobody knows who is in.
=. l.. Sharpstein, of Waila Waila, Is too
disgusted to run for supreme Judge. The
nominees may be w. III. Brnker. of Pa
cific, and f. w. Hannah, of Whitman.
John McReavy, of Mason, il likely to
get secretary of state. No one else wants it.
T. W. Starr, of Douglas, for attorney
general: Harrison Clothier, of Skagit.
for treasurer. and Samuel Bass, OF
Whatcom. for auditor, are proba-
bilities. J. NJ. Baxter. of Yakima,
refuses to allow his name To be put up for
treasurer J. b. Landrum. of Lewis, and
DIR. w. s. Lewis, Of Ciallam. are still in for
land commissioner, and ]. II. Morgans, of
Kittitas, as superintendent of schools. z.
+. Hickman. of King. will not run for
state printer. but w. A. Ryan. Of Pierce,
may. Snively himself was 10th to take
the nomination for governor, and one of
his reasons for accepting was to crafty
James Hamilton Lewis and help beat the
Pierce county combine.