The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1904-09-23
A ROUSING RECEPTION
A. +. Mead Receives Welcome
in Whitman County.
Senator III. ID. Crow of Spokane
Tears the Mask of Deception
From Turner's Speeches.

A very pleasant and successful repub,
llcan rally was held at the courthouse in
Coliax thursday evening, September | 5,
when the citizens of this vicinity greeted
Albert +. Mead of Bellingham, repub-
llcan nominee for governor; G. w.
Clausen OF Port Orchard, republican
nominee Tor state auditor, and State Sen
ator Herman d. Crow of Spokane. u.
L Ettinger OF Colfax presided over the
meeting, which was attended by a large
and attentive audience.
The COlfax Military Band serenaded
Mr.. Mead and his party at the Hotel
whitman Just prior to the time for the
meeting at the court house. The repub-
llcan male quartette of Coltax sang two
| political songs at juncture between the
| speech OF Senator Crow and that of MIR.
Mead. The band also rendered music at
| the beginning and close of the meeting
Inc male quartette was greatly ap-
| preclated and Chairman Stuht sent the
boys to Pullman for the rally at that
place on Friday evening. They will
probably appear at meetings at various
| places throughout the county during
this campaign.
Senator Crow was first introduced and
spoke at some length, addressing his
hearers as an advocate of a railway
| commission. Senator Crow has been
| consistent and persistent advocate Of
remedial railway legislation in this state
Tor number of years and his argument
as to the duty of Eastern Washington
republicans in this campaign was earnest
and convincing. His position cannot be
assailed successfully and The Gazette
will quote several extracts from his
speech.
What Senator Crow Said.
assume the great majority of the people
OF Eastern Washington, without regard to
party, are in favor of conservative railway
legislation, and especially of a non partisan
railway commission to be appointed by the
governor. l am not finding fault with the
citizen of Eastern Washington, or of any
portion of the state who does not agree with
the majority of our people upon this ques-
ton. desire at this time to especially ad-
dress my remarks to republicans of Eastern
Washington who are honestly in favor of con-
servative railway legislation, presenting what
appear to be good and sufficient reasons for
supporting the entire republican ticket
The republicans have nominated for gov
ernor an honorable man, against whose per-
sonal character and public record no attack
whatever has been made. The democrats
have nominated Senator Turner, man who
has heretofore been in nearly every political
party, on all sides of most every political
question, and who has been thoroughly con-
sistent in his inconsistency. Our democratic
friends insist that by the election of Senator
Turner and democratic legislature. the peo-
pie OF Eastern Washington will more readily
secure the enactment of commission bill
Republicans should fight out their differences
within their own party, and after their ticket
has been nominated, should present united
front against the common enemy
Taking the vote on supreme Judge in 1902 az
basis OF computation, you will find that |
in total republican and democratic vote of
little over 5000 Judge Hadley received
majority of 26,8 863. In order that Judge |
Turner may overcome this majority it will
be necessary for him to secure % per cent of
the entire republican vote cast in this state at
that election. In other words, it will be
necessary that twenty-three of every 100 re
publiCans who voted for Judge Hadley shall
this fall vote for Judge Turner in orier that
he may break even in this campaign, and he
must keep this proportion of gain throughout
the entire state, No intelligent person will
for one moment believe that he will be able to
do this.
There are now sixteen hold-over republican
senators in this state and it is absolutely Ger
tain that the next legislature will be re-
publican IN both branches. How can Judge
Turner, democrat, hope to secure the enact
ment of commission bill when Gov. Rogers,
in 1897, with legislature in which his own
political allies had large majority in both
houses. was unable to accomplish that result?
| maintain that under existing conditions, all
republicans of eastern Washington, who favor
. commission bill, should vote for Mr.. Mead
and for the republican legislative nominees
Mr. Mead has publicly announced that he
will sign any commission bill passed by the
loofGlafuro and will nd
capable men commissioners under that bill
The great majority of the people of Eastern
Washington, both democrats and republicans
favor commission, and [ will assume that
the majority of the people on the west side Of
this state, without regard to party affiliation,
are opposed to any such legislation. Strictly
speaking, this is not party question, but is
an economic question of local interest in GER
tain portions of this state. The great bulk of
the population of Washington lies west of the
Cascade mountains. By reason of this con-
dition, the great majority # the members Of
both houses of the legislature come from west
of the Cascade mountains. In the senate
there are forty two members; twenty six from
the west side and sixteen from the east side.
In the house there are ninety-four members;
ffty-eght from the west side and thirty-six
from the east side, Under the constitution of
this state it is necessary for any pill to receive
a majority of all members elected TO each
house before it becomes law
In other words, it requires twenty-five
affirmative votes for bill to pass the senate,
and forty-eight affirmative votes for bill to
pass the house, even though no votes should
be cast against it in either body. From this
it will be seen that to secure any legislation
upon any subject whatever, it is necessary to Sc
cure large number of votes for such proposed
legislation IN each house from the west side of
this state. If every senator and representa-
tive, both democrat and republican, from east
of the Cascade mountains were to vote for
any DILL, and it received no other support, the
bill would be defeated. We, therefore, can
not secure the passage of a commission bill
unless it receives large number of votes from
west of the Cascade mountains.
We must remember that the conditions ex-
isting on the east and west sides of this state
are entirely different IN climate, natural r.
sources and business surroundings 1t is not
necessary to go into detail You fully appre-
ciate the situation. As result Of tn se con-
| ditiops there has been less demand for railway
| legislation and for the enactment of a COM
| mi sion law west of the mountains than IN the
eastern portion of the state. Friends of the
| commission bill, who honestly desire the en-
| Snent IF such a law, shou d, therefore, in
| this campaign, by their action and votes, pur-
| sue such a course as will in all probability be
| the best means of bringing to US the greatest
| amount of assistance from our west side
| friends. I will now make statement based
1 nrov, ba racorda contained in the hOuse and