Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-09-22
FARRELL TICKET
TURNER ExCORlATES RAILWAY
LOBBYISTS.
Senator Turner on State Issues. Everybody
Knows the Issue. The Republican Party
Was Betrayed at Tacoma. Tribute to
Democratic Party.

Democratic Party.
II do not suppose there was ever so
bold surrender of party integrity ia
private and selfish interests as that
made by the Tacoma convention.
have heard and read Of many vain and
foolish things in politics and otherwise,
but this is the first instance in the his.
tory Of American politics, at least, where
a political body has appealed to the
suffrages of the people. and accompanied
that appeal with bold, open. shameless
manifestation of contempt for the PEG.
ple's wishes and DESIRES"
Judge Turner, the democratic nominee
for governor, excoriated the republican
state organization in an interview the
other night. The interview, which " az
given out upon his return from weeks
trip to the coast, is really the opening
gun Of the democratic state campaign.
Judge Turner did not confine himself
to the republican state organization, but
replied in specific terms to the attacks
which have been made upon him in the
railroad press, and branded as false
hood the assertion that he had ever
called American soldiers in the Philip
pines "McKinley's hired assassins." He
declared the Seattle Post.Intelligencer
to be the personal organ of James ].
Hill.
Judge Turner's interview in full is as
follows:
1.-THE disaffection Of the republican
voters is based on the twofold ground
that it is now apparent they have moth.
ing to hope for at the hands of their
present party organization in the matter
OF railway regulation, and on the bold,
open and notorious domination of their
recent state convention by agents of the
railroads.
"Having declared time and again in
their platforms in favor OF railway regu.
lat.on. and thereby secured the support
of the people, they now throw off the
mask, decline to make any declaration
whatever in their platform on the SUBJ
ject, and, by the character of their
nominees, give it to be Enthusiastically
understood that they do not propose to
attempt regulation or control OF the great
railway corporations OF the state.
"In effect this is to say to those public
instrumentalities: You may tax the
people at pleasure for the service you
perform for them, and you may pay the
state such tax as you please for the pro.
lection it gives to you by and through
its laws and the executive power of the
state government
"I do not suppose there was ever so
bold surrender of party integrity to
private and selfish interests as that
made by the Tacoma convention.
have h ard and read of many vain and
foolish things in politics and otherwise,
but this is the first instance in American
politis at least where a political body
has appealed to the sufrages of the peo'
pie and accompanied that appeal with a
bold, open, shameless manifestation oil
contempt for the peoples wishes and
desires.
"Their manner of doing it was almost
as bad as the doing OF the thing itself
The mem bers of the convention sal
around, dumb and silent, while four OF
five bosses canvassed the situation anG
determined whom they wanted for the
state nominees, and the character of the
platform on which they should run.
"Finally, being unable to agree, OR
fearful lest their decision should not be
acceptable, the bosses telephoned for the
chief agent OF the railways to come tc
them, and actually waited five or siS
hours until he arrived to give them
definite instructions.
"When he arrived and made known
his wishes, the bosses in turn commune
Gated them to the dazed and Inundated
delegates, and the instructions were duly
obeyed and ratified by the convention,
81 have heard members OF that re
markable convention declare that they
were never so ashamed and Inundated
in their lives. One of them-one OF the
most prominent republicans in this state
said to me at Tacoma the other day:
"'They drove us into the corral with
clubs, like lot OF cattle, and then said
"D-n you, stay there till we get ready
to lasso and brand you.'
"There have been times in this stat
when the people were driven to rebellion
by railroad dictation, but there neve
was time when the dictation was quit
go open and shameless as it was at Ia
coma. That it will be visited with tn,
punishment which such political perfd,
richly merits is certainty. The feeling
is strong in eastern Washington, but i
is stronger in western Washington. Tht