The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-10-01

OLYMPIA, oct. 1.-Men who are
familiar with the political history Oh
washington for the past ten years are
not surprised that John l.. WILSON,
through the power of his newspaper,
the Seattle Post Intelligencer. is night
ing Judge George Turner the demo-
cratic candidate for governor with all
the energy and resource which man
of narrow mind and lofty ambitions
can muster against a man of pre-eml-
nent ability and high moral purpose.
The men are natural and constltu-
,ional antagonists. Judge Turner Is
STRAIGHTFORWARD and outspoken. Sena-
tor Wilson is shrewd, resourceful and
tricky. Judge Turner studies the is
sues of a political contest selects ms
position on thoS issues, proclalmS tha'
position to the people ana goes belofe
them for endorsement and Nindlcatlon.
Senator Wilson plays the game OF
expression of his own opinions, and
seeks votes on the plea of being the
most available candidate. Judge Tur-
ner makes his political fights for prrn-
chile. Senator Wilson makes his po-
iitical fights for spoils.
This constitutional difference be-
..,.l.-, IL .,,., ,,,a,, was nrohH blV never
more pertinently illustrated than III
the senatorial contest of 1891, when re
suited i'm the election of Judge turner
to the United States senate. In that
contest Judge Turner. who had been
one of the most prominent promoters
of the fusion movement of 1896, an
nouuced on January /, the political
principles which he advocated, ANA on
the basis of those principles an6 Ms
own pre- eminent ability and fitness,
asked the support of the Legislators.
. Reasons Were Selfish.
Senator Wilson in that contest as
in this one. vigorously opposed Judge
Turner Probably the reason for this
was the fact that Senator Wilson felt
that the selection of second senator
from Spokane would initiate against
his own recollection two years later.
But Senator Wilson did not act openly.
EXPRESSING indifference in the outcome
he sent his emissaries to Olympia TO
urge the election of a western Wash
ington candidate, and to urge repub-
lican members of the legislature to
ioiu the populist members in the cleo
ton of any candidate but Senator Tur-
ner.
This activity of senator Wilson's
adherents in the fight became one of
the political scandals of that legisla-
tive session. and the methods of the
then senator We're eminently character
istic of his political actiVies.
During the Legislative session of 1897.
J. Howard Watson, now the private
secretary of Gov. Mcbride. was the
special correspondent at Olympia for
the Spokesman Review and in his re-
ports of the progress of the senatorial
contest he tells of Senator Wilson's
activities in many of their intricate de-
tails These accounts are amply veri-
fled by the reports in other papers to
warrant giving them the fullest cred
ence. Mr.. Watson is consistent re-
publican and during the 1898 cam
paign he made a statewide reputation
as a newspaper correspondent by his
work on the Post Intelligencer, for
which publication he toured the state.
The partisan coloring of his stories was
so strongly republican that he was I,s-
tinugished by being denounced on the
floor of the populist state convention
at Ellensburg. These facts are sufficient
10 warrant the belief tat his version
of the senatorial cantest was not col
ored by democratic or populist pre-
judice.
What Watson Says.
In a despatch dated Jan II, that
year. Watson says:
Notwithstanding the apparent dis
interestednesS of the republicans in the
senatorial fight it is a fact that the
most violent efforts are being made to
overthrow Judge Turner by certain re-