Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-09-12
FARRELL TICKET
HOW RAILROAD LOBBYIST NAMED
REPUBLICAN TICKET.
Full Details Of Conference Of Railroad Leaders
and the Few Men Who Garry the Republican
Vote of the State in Their Pockets in Far.
reI's Private Car.

Full details of the conference between
railroad leaders in the private car of j.
d. Farrell, the democratic representative
of the James J Hill interests, at Tacoma
the night before the republican state con.
vention, have been disclosed by one of
the men who attended the conference,
says the Spokane SpokesmanR Review.
At that conference Albert f. Mead, of
Bellingham, was agreed upon as the rail-
road candidate for governor, and Mr.
Farrell issued his positive orders that no
railroad commission plank be inserted in
the platform.
The events which led up to the confer
ence, briefly stated, were: Samuel Fl.
Piles, King county's senatorial candi-
date, had ostensibly been given the lis
votes Of King county to trade in his own
interest. The managers Of the railroad
commission forces had offered to trade
the 220 votes which they had in the con-
vention to Mr.. Piles, and give him a
state Endorsement for United States
senator, together with promise OF all
the legislative vo-es-about 80 in num-
ber-which they could deliver, if in re.
turn the 115 votes of King county would
be thrown in favor OF a railroad com.
mission.
Mr.. Piles is attorney for the Pacific
Coast company, which is subsidiary
corporation OF the Great Northern rail.
road. While Mr.. Piles had ostensibly
appointed the Seattle and King county
delegation, Mr.. Farrell had really done
so, and Mr.. Piles was afraid to make a
deal with the commission forces without
consulting Mr.. Farrell. All the mem.
bers of the Seattle and King county
steering committee. save Charlie Sulli.
van, who was on the committee as Mr..
Farrel's personal representative, and
all the holloyer senators from Seattle
and King county advised Mr.. Piles to
close the deal without delay and not to
send for Mr.. Farrell.
Mr. Piles was insistent, however, and
when G. p. Cham berlain, another repre-.
sentative of the Great Northern, init
mated his belief that Mr.. Farrell would
not come to Tacoma, Mr.. Piles, who was
sick and irritable, retorted:
"Well, you had better get him here, or
this thing may be settled in way he
won't like"
This was about O'Clock in the after
noon of the day before the convention
met. Mr.. Chamberlain became alarmed
at Mr.. Piles attitude and hastily tele-
phoned Mr.. Farrell to conc to Tacoma,
urging that there VAS danger OF the
convention adopting railroad COM
mission plank. Nh Farrell was at his
ranch at Renton at the time, but he
reached Seattle in time to have his
special car attached to the regular 6
o'clock train for Tacoma. In that car
he arrived
On his arrival at Tacoma about s
O'Clock, he hastily summoned his most
trusted lieutenants, AMI the famous con-
ference was held in Farrell's special car
in the Northern Pacific yards in Tacoma,
just below the Tacoma hotel, where a
seething mass of delegates thought they
were having hand in shaping the re.
suits of the convention.
The leading figures at the conference
were:
j. d. Farrell, a lifelong democrat, and
assistant to President James j. Hill OF
the Great Northern Railway company
and the Northern Securities company.
B. S. Grosscup of Tacoma, division
counsel for the Northern Pacific Railway
company, and for many years past the
chief legislative lobbyist for that cor
poration.
Charles NJ. Leyey of Tacoma, assistant
to President Howard Elliott of the North
ern Pacific.
B. d. Croker of Tacoma, United
States collector OF internal revenue for
the district of Washington and Alaska.
J. I. McChesney OF Everett, leader OF
the Snohomish county delegation, and a
man exceedingly close TO the Great
Northern in a business way.
Samuel Hill OF Seattle, son.in.law oil
President James J. Hill.
A few smaller political fry were there
but they sat in the background, while
the six men enumerated talked the situa
ton over and reached conclusion.
Mr.. Chamberlain, over the telephone,
had explained to Mr.. Farrell the nature
OF the situation, and the fact that the
King county steering committee was in.
clined to accept the railroad commission
mems offer. Mr.. Farrell opened the
conference. He was irritable, and in.
clined to be angry.
"What's the trouble here?" he de.