The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-24
BUT MAY NOT BE NOMINATED.
The Platform Not Unlikely to Be
Hostile to King County.
Pierce County Has . United Delegation,
While King County la Divided-Some
Seattle Men Fighting Tacoma's Bat
tles-Hazzard to he Reelected.

blnation has been formed to carry through
the anti-canal resolution and beat Lewis.
Pierce county has joined hands with the
forces OF Shaw and Blalock in Southwest
ern and Southeastern Washington to put
this plank into the platform:
we heartily condemn he course of Senator'S
Alien and Squire and OF Representative. Wilson
IN advocating the Lake Washington ship canal
to the exclusion of the many necessary improve
ments of rivers and harbors in this state.
caucus of these three forces will be
held In the morning to determine the can
didate for governor. Blalock will prob
ably be the man to receive the
undivided support of the combina-
ton. The counties claimed for the
deal are Adams, Asotin, Chehalis, Clarke,
Cowiitz, Franklin, Garfield. Klickitat,
Lewis, Mason. Okanogan. Pacific. Pierce,
Skamania, Walia Walla, Wahkiakum
and Whitman. Blalock contributed -
votes, Shaw &c, Pierce county 81 and
about 35 scattering are also claimed. God
man, OF Dayton, is in the deal for congress
man. and Warner. of Whitman, is left
wholly in the cold. Henry Drum will
not lie mentioned for governor Though
James Hamilton Lewis still declares that
his support is firm, and that he can hold
the convention by narrow majority he
is evidently keenly disappointed at the
formidable consolidation of opposition to
HIM and the probability Of its victory
Said he:
Pierce offered me her support and the nomiua-
ton were willing to compromise on the canal,
but my answer was that owed every political
honor had received to King and l could not
desert my people now.
The perfection of this triple alliance is
regarded as the great political stroke of
the convention. Curiously enough
L. ID. Ross and the others
who have been declaring that the
canal was their dearest hope and that
they wanted to beat Lewis for governor in
order to secure the great prize. are rejoic-
ing in the movement which is not only to
defeat Lewis but to denounce in bitter
terms public improvement demanded by
Seattle citizens regardless of politics.
OLYMPIA, Aug. 23.-[Special. 1T looks
tonight as if resolution for the Lake
Washington canal would be beaten by the
Democratic state convention, and as if
James Hamilton Lewis would be carried
down by the defeat of his county. Most of
the delegates are now on the ground.
Many of the King county friends of Lewis
came early in the afternoon and more in
the evening. But few anti-Lewis men
were among the arrivals, and so the cur
rent, which for twenty-four hours had
been turned against Lewis by the efforts
of ID. III. Gilman, Percy W. Rochester, L.
ID. Ross. w. Ii. White and others
began to set the other way. The
arrival of Lewis at 6:15 reused
much enthusiasm among his supporters.
The Spokane delegation and one or two
others went with King to meet him at the
wharf, and when he came to the headquar-
ters at the Olympia hotel he was heartily
cheered. Later in the evening some
Thurston county Democrats came with
band to serenade him, and he made brief
speech of thanks and acknowledgement.
Cheers were then given for Lewis, for
Thomas Carroll, of Pierce. and for the
Democratic national ticket. Franklin X.
Lane. of Pierce, responded in behalf of
Carroll, who was sick in his room.
During the afternoon there had been
some caucusing, but the excitement really
began after dinner, when all the delega-
tions were practically complete and def
mite action was possible. No apparent in
terest has yet been taken in any question
but the Lake Washington canal plank and
the nomination for governor. On the
minor offices there has been little or no
discussion. Since the convention does not
meet until 1 o'clock tomorrow afternoon,
nothing will probably be done tomorrow
except to form temporary organization.
Some think that the nominations can be
reached by night. but it seems unlikely
that the committees will be ready to report
by that time, so there may be another day
of dealing and trading.
Soon after dinner King county went into
a caucus. which lasted about two hours.
The main subject OF discussion was the
attitude of the delegation on the question
Of the Lake Washington canal. Junius
Rochester and one or two others were, of
course, in favor of leaving that issue out
of the platform, but the delegation as
whole was overwhelmingly for fighting TO
the bitter end. This fact was generally ad-
mitted, that without some strong words in
favor of the canal King county would be
hopelessly Republican in November. Ac-
cordingly the delegation will try for
plank approving efforts to secure federal
appropriations for the improvement of the
Columbia river and its tributaries, of the
Cowlitz, Puyaiiup. Snohomish, Skagit and
Nooksack rivers, Gray's Harbor and the
Pacific ocean harbors. for building the
Lake Washington canal and for the con-
struction OF coast defenses. If the con-
vention will not accept such plank, then
King will ask the weak substitute of a gen.
eral approval of federal appropriations for
internal improvements. Should even this
request be refused, King will stand III the
last ditch and en1eayOr To tone down the
resolutions undermining the canal. The
delegation appointed 5. 5. Carlisle on the
committee on credentials, DIR. A. y. Mar
ion on rules and organization. and f. A.
Mcdonald and Fred Bausman on resolu-
tions, if King can have two men on that
committee The word had been passed along
to fight for both the canal and James Ham
ilton Lewis in the committees and on the
floor of the convention. The deterrnina-
ton to stand by the canal has united the
delegation and reused much zeal among
most of the King county men present.
There is shadow, st least, of the en-
thusiasm that was manifested at the Re-
publican convention when the King dele
CATION took up the cry, The canal and
McGraw," but. unhappily for the Demo
Gratis of King county, the convention
makes certain the complete defeat of a
plank favoring the canal. and almost as
certain the voting down of the glittering
generality about internal improvements.
Some of the delegates from Pierce
would like TO have the conyen-