Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-09-12
REPUBLICAN PRESS TRIES DIES.
PERATELY TO DODGE ISSUE.
The Issue in the State Of Washington is too
Plain to be Evaded. The State Govern.
ment Shall Not be Delivered to Corporation
Lobbyists This Year.

AS was to be expected. the republican
papers are trying desperately to obscure
the one all important issue of the cam
paign in this state. They are bowling
about loyalty to Roosevelt and the G. O.
p; they are devoting columns OF space
to attacking Turner for having left the
republican party, they are frantically
eulogizing the personal character OF Mr..
Mead, they are Historically denouncing
the Boxers" but they are saying very
little about the railroad commission
issue, less about the domination OF their
state convention by the railroad lobby.
and still less about the defeat of Govern
or Mcbride by the same combination
which nominated Mr.. Mead.
The record before the voters is clear
and easily understood. Two years ago
the republican state convention, after a
bitter fight, declared in favor of rail-
road commission. The plank had the
hearty endorsement of Governor Nc
Bride. When the legislature met he
used every means in his power to secure
the passage of commission bill. The
republican majority in the legislature
repudiated the platform pledge and de.
feated the bill. Governor Mcbride de.
nounced them for their perfidy and
appealed to the rank and file Of his party
to throw off the railroad yoke. The
issue was fairly made and fought out in
every county. The railroad lobby won
out and elected majority of the dele.
gates to the state convention. The con-
vention repudiated the railroad commits.
sion plank, turned down Mcbride for
renom3nation and ignored and Inundated
that section of the state which loyalty
supported him. The railroad lobbyists
ran the convention, dictated the plat.
form and selected candidates in sympa-
thy with their views. All these asser-
tions are matters of record, admitted by
ssath .h republican papers.
The democrats Of this state for years
have favored the railroad commission
policy. Two years ago they declared for
it in their state platform. When the
legislature met a railroad commission
bill was drawn and introduced by Sena-
tor Tolman, democrat. This year the
democratic state convention again de-
cared for a commission without dis
senting vote, and nominated for governor
and lieutenant governor men who have
proved by their records that they are in
sympathy with the platform aud whose
position Oh this issue is unquestoned.
The railroads ran the republican con
ventlon and dictated the candidates.
The people ran the democratic conven-
ton and selected the candidates. The
republican convention went on record
as opposing railroad commission. The
democratic convention went on record
as favoring such commission. The
republican ticket stands for the right OF
the corporations to dominate the state.
The democratic ticket stands for the
right of the people to regulate the cor.
porations. This is the real issue before
the voters, and they should not allow
their attention to be diverted from it
by any dust storms raised by the lobby
papers over other and less important
issues.-Colfax Oommoner.