The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-10-26

publican and has been one for the
past eight years. Mr.. Mead in prac-
ticaally all of his campaign addresses
had said that if commission bill
were passed by republican legisla-
ture and he were governor he would
sign the bill.
Saw Danger Ahead.
But the committee and the hold
over senators scented danger in the
third proposal of Mr.. Rockwell. The
hold over senators had reason to
know, from dearly bought experiences,
that the present republican governor
of Washington is a sincere commits
sion man, and has the authority to call
an extraordinary session of the legis-
lature. They had Governor Mcbride
sounded on the subject and the re-
port came back that if a sufficient
number of the present senators We're
won over to the commission cause to
give any promise of the passage of
the measure the governor would call
an extraordinary session of the legis-
lature for the purpose Of passing such
a bill and thereby put the senators on
their professions.
Appreciating this danger in the path
of aDy nrataOSe the bOI6oXpf, senators
of whom Mr.. Palmer is one, have re-
Trained from making the promise sug-
geste1 by Mr.. Rockwell. but have made
a threat instead. Placed in a posi-
ton where a promise would be ex-
posed they have authorized the state
committee to make the threat that if
Judge Turner is elected governor the
republicans in the legislature will op-
pose any commission measure.
Members of the committee intimate
that all of the pro-railroad holdover
senators. II in number, are parties to
this threat. making it necessary for
them to elect but seven more pro-
railroad senatorial candidates to en-
lation.
The most innocent amateur in pol
the effect of such a declaration as this
on the part of the state committee
will be to injure the chances of the
commission republican legislative
candidates in eastern Washington. SO
evident is this that it seems that that
must be one of the purposes of the
declaration.
There are two reasons why the
managers of the Wilson Palmer rail-
road committee are willing that the
commission republican legislative can
didates should be defeated. One of
these is that they hope by dividing the
legislature almost evenly between the
two parties to defeat any commission
cans against democratic commission
measure, and the democrats against
a republican commission measure. The
other is that the commission republi-
can Legislative candidates are not, as
a rule, favorable to the election of
John L. Wilson to the United States
senate. In eastern Washington they
are, as a rule, counted by the Wilson
Palmer committee. as being favorable
to the election of Charles Sweeny, and
therefore natural prey for the Will
sonPalmer organization. In western
Washington, in such counties as Ska
git, Lewis, Cowlitz, Pacific and Wah-
kiakum, where commission republic
legislature the candidates are, gener-
ally, for Senator Foster.
The alignment of these commission
legislative candidates On the senator
ship affords the Wilson-Palmer ma
chine a very potent reason for apathy
with regard to their success. the Will
n-Palmer managers depending upon
the belief that the legislature will be
republican anyway to leave them a
small majority of both houses. making
it easier for them to control a republic
can caucus for Mr.. Wilson with the aid
of Mr.. Mead.
A very serious danger lies in this
bushwhacking campaign. 1t is quite
apparent that the committee has no
conception of the republican disaffec-
ton in the west-side counties, and this
warfare, begun thus early in the cam
paign, has aroused TIVE supporters or
other senatorial candidates to inau-
gurate plans for retaliation, thereby
seriously endanqerinp the control of