The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-11-30

equitable taxation of railroad proper
ty, and that is just what the lobby
wishes to prevent.
The Tolman commission bill giving
to Governor Rogers the power of ap-
pointment was not defeated by Nc
Bride, but by republican senator's from
eastern Washington who were bound
hand and foot by the offensive and de-
fensive alliance formed by Grosscup
and Stevenson with Levi Ankeny's
managers, the understanding being
that in return for the defeat of the
commission bill the lobby would de-
liver votes at the next session Of the
legislature to send Mr.. Ankeny to the
senate.
After the Preston Nc Bride bill TAX
ing the power of appointment out of
the hands of the governor had been
defeated, Senator Harold Preston, the
closest friend of Mcbride, then the
presiding officer of the senate, voted
for the Tolman bill, while Senators
CornWel Baumeister and others from
the east side voted against it. This
proved cOnclusively that the Levites
in the Legislature were opposed to the
Preston commission bill, not because
it took the power of appointment out
Of the hands of the democratic gov
ernor, but because it was distasteful
to the railroad lobby with which they
were allied.
1t must be admitted by any one who
will study the events of the campaign
of 1900 that Governor Rogers was
under obligations to the railroads and
to the friends of Levi Ankeny for his
election. 1t is an indisputable fact
that railway employees all over the
state voted against Frink, the repub
lican nominee. George Stevenson
was one of the most Jealous support
ers of Rogers. Undoubtedly this sup
port had its influence on Governor
Rogers in the Legislative session Of
1901. and it is certain that he showed
little interest in the passage of any
kind of a railway commission law.
His friendlinesS to the railroad cor
porations was shown also a few
months later by his refusal to take
any action against the Northern Sc
curities railway merger, although it
was plainly a violation of the cOnsti-
tuition of the state. AS to what cauS-
ed this change in the attitude of Gov
ernor Rogers toward railroads every
Loft
sions. However, it must be conceded
that the fact that Grosscup and Stew
enson had joined with the Levites in
knitting Frink and helping Rogers in
the election of 1900 gave Henry Nc
Bride some reason for heSitating to
place the appointing of a railway
commission in the hands of a gov
ernor under peculiar obligations to
the railroads.
Senator Ankeny's views regarding
a railway commission were given ex-
preston in an interview at Spokane
last year. He declared that the pas
sage of commission law would tend
to retard the development of the re-
sources of the state and he was unal-
terably opposed to such legislation.
Nothing his organ or any member of
the railroad lobby can now say in ia
vor of a commission will be regarded
as sincere. The people don't want a
commission law with the teeth pulled
out by the lobby, and that is the kind
of measure that republican legis-
lature would give us if Mcbride should
be defeated for nomination by his
party convention next year. For the
Levites to boost for a commission bill
now would be like the DEVILS quoting
scripture and preaching the gospel Of
salvation.