The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-03-17

TACOMA. March l6-lSpecial. Here II
the slate:
For collector. J. c. eAusDEas, Of Port Town.
send.
For marshal, N. J. MAIoszY, Of Now Whist
com.
For United States district attorney. II. J.
sNIvELY. of North Yakima. or B. l. sAARP-
STEIN, jr.. Of walla Wplla-
For surveyor ssner c. H WARNER, of Col
This is not evei rbody's slate. If the
state Democratic Tcommittee's ideas of
party organization are carried out. it is .
slate that stands more than q fair chance
of not being easily broken. But slate or
no slate. Mr.. Saunders will succeed Andy
Wasson. if the political stars in their
courses tell the whole truth.
In political lore it is written that when
Grover Cleveland was president once be-
fore he exclaimed a. the result of unbear-
able annoyance that the collectorship Of
the Puget sound district gave him more
trouble than any other office at his dis
posal. To insure himself against any
chance of repetition Of that experience,
it is now affirmed that he will appoint to
this Office . man who meets his personal
approval.
L Mr.. Saunders was . White House stem
ographer during Cieveland's former ad-
ministration, and aside from his personal
acquaintance with President Cleveland,
the political canaries sing Of . ''cinch''
which Mr.. Saunders has on the collector
ship. Aside from Saunders, everybody ID
far out at sea. But if Democratic party
machinery is to be supreme, then the
other three gentlemen above slated, with
Mr.. Sharpstein as an alternative, will
probably be Endorsed by tho Democratic
state committee. Still there 10 another
''if" Say, for instance. the state COM
mittee does not indorse this or that man,
and he goes on to Washington City with
all sorts OF flattering approval, what then 7
Bad blood will be developed, say large
number of prominent Democrats, if this
state committee does not keep its hands
of. What the committee ought to do,
they argue, is to follow the action of the
Democrats of the last legislature when
asked by the caucus action to indorse GER
tain candidates, simply and absolutely
refuse to do anything" And on this
delicate point there are three distinct
propositions, viz:
To fndorse a certain man for . certain ofhca
To indorse select bunch OF approved caudi-
dates for . certain Office.
To let every candidate hustle for himself, and
let "the devil take the hindermost."
Proposition number two is set down %
the happy medium, as it would be more
dignified than free-for-alt scramble, and
would allow of q chance to exercise good
horse sense by the committee in wedding
out the unworthy and separating the sheep
and the goats, politically. This, it is
claimed, would also prevent bad blood
among the many really qualified candi.
dates.
About everybody interested admits that
it is decidedly "ticklish" business. this
picking out of candidates for Federal
fayors. And yet the advocates of party
organization declare strongly for some sys.
tenn in the disposition of offices. No man,
they hold, who voted and worked for Har.
rison should be allowed to hold Office un-
der Democratic administration. Even q
man who was lukewarm in any manner
should, they insist, not be allowed to enter
Office under Cleveland, no matter who
indorses him personally" The party Or
ganization men demand what the anti
party organization men deem the INA
chine" shall at all times and on all occa.
sions be attended to and kept in working
order. And the anti-machine men answer
back, saying there is no need of any ma
chinery, or set Of men to lob" out of.
fees. Indeed, the men who oppose the
machine" in politics wax warm In dis
cussins this matter. With some excep-
tions, however, these anti-machine candi.
dates expect nothing from the state COM
mittee. and are therefore prejudiced
against it if it is to do anything more than
attend to the routine of the party's bust.
ness. In nutshell, the whole matter il
just this:
If the party organization people run
things. then the men who desire that
every man shall look to his own candi.
dacy will as rule get left. and if the state
committee does absolutely nothing. then
the men of great "pull" and Influence
will not have much opportunity to display
their talents politically.
There are not places sufficient for all the
candidates. There will be .'soreheads" in
any event, and the state committee seems
inclined to take the bull by the horns and
say who shall and who shall not be in.
dorsed. The state committee will convene
at p. m. tomorrow, at which meeting the
press may or may not be invited to be
present. All the many candidates in the
city, together with the friends of candi-
dates. will be asked 10 attend this meeting
and express their views regarding the
modus operandi of the committee in in
dorsing Office seekers. or the relations OF
the capable Democrats, after whom the
anti-machine men imagine some of the fat
offices are seeking, or should seek right
diligently, if there is TO be any dignity
about the political clearinghouse business.
Alter the state committee has heard
everybody there will be an adjournment
IN order to give the committee chance ia
reflect and decide what action had best be
taken. 1t is proposed that the state com.
mittee indorse personally candidates fol
the four leading offices. viz: Collector
United States district attorney. surveyor
and marshal. For the balance it is pro.
posed that a committee of seven shall be
appointed with full power TO act; tha. thl.
committee shall take ample time in which
20 consider candidates. and that its acts
shall be binding npon the state organixa.
ton. Just what rules are to govern the
action Of this committee will have to b<
decided upon tomorrow. According tc
the state committee idea. it ito indor.s
one man for certain office, and no other,
need apply.
Still, it is more likely that the "happy
medium" plan will be approved in some
form to avoid bad blood" The anti
machine contingent even goes 80 far as ts
intimate that some interested nart,e,