Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-11-04
Pierce NAV Go DEMOCRATIC.

Pierce May Go democratic.
The staff correspondent of the Ore
gonian, who has been sent over this
State to prepare correct estimate OF
probable results, seems to have almost
thrown up the sponge, SO far as Mead's
prospects in Pierce county are con-
cerned, and he thinks that the normal
Republican majority of 5000 or $500
will probably be reduced to an even
split, or, possibly, a small m" jority for
Turner. This, the correspondent save,
will be due to the fact that Tacoma is
a wide open" town, where gambling
and other prescribed evils are toler-
ated. " hen Spokane closed the doors
of her numberless Temples Of Fortune,
the knights Of the Green Cloth, with
their retinue OF bnnco men, macquer-
eaux, bouncers and hangers-on, betOok
themselves to Tacoma; when Seattle
did the same thing, her hali-world
crossed over the line and bid defiance
to law and custom, and when Portland
followed suit, Tacoma became the
Mecca for all outlawry that nocked,
literally in swarms, from the north,
south and east. All this, be it known,
is an available asset, we'll known to all
politicians.
1t is not the present purpose to
moralize on this condition of affairs,
but to foretell results from signs that
are sure prognosticator of events.
p" Everything, from the slot machines
to the big faro games" says the Ore
CONAN correspondent" is being turned
into the fund that is to be used to de-
feat Mead. Whatever of odium that
may attach from such associations, he
very properly adds will be overcome,
or palliated, by the fact that Rev. J.
T. Eshelman and other religious WORK
ers are out for the same object" These
are the facts that conspire to make
Pierce county Democratic in the pres
ent campaign, truthfully stated from
Republican source, and like tie
Frenchman's facts when told that
they might not coincide with tru h
-" so much 20 worse for re facts"
The apathy at the Republican heal.
quarters is illustrated by the statement
that on inquiry of the "youthhl.
looking man at the helm" when he
called and inquired as to the whue.
abouts of Walter Christian. candidate
for State Senator, he declared he lad
never known a man by that name.
An inquiry for Charles Bedford. an
old-time Republican, ELECTED the sane
reply, he had "never heard OF man
by that name" A third attempt to
bring forth spark of intelligence-n
easy one-was sprung: "You knew
Joe yesterday, of course?" when with
a vacuity which we'll goes with present
political conditions, he replied. ooh
yes, l know a farmer by that name,
who lives out on the Puyallup"
The scribe, disheartened, dropped
the task of attempting to derive An
intelligent answer from a campaign
manager.
The correspondent turns from what
he calls the "dark side" of the mat
ter, as presented to the Republican
mind, and that is the uncertainty of
Foster being returned to the U. s.
Senate if Mead is beaten. If there is
any one thing Pierce is united upon it
is Foster, and the Foster strength is in
the Mead strongholds. The "Busi
ness Men" of the country-presumably
those outside of the saloon business
have organized. to retrieve Mead's
losses. The movement started off
with 500 advocates and boosted it
would have 1000 before election.
The Democratic opposition to Mr..
Turner, the Oregonian scribe says, is
less pronounced in Pierce than in
King, but there are some Democrats
who do not believe him consistent,
and many lumbermen who do not
think him true to the principles they
uphold. and they will probably sup.
port Mead. His estimate of the Re.
publican majority in Pierce is cut to
500 or 1000, from the usual thing of
1000 to 5000, however, with a posi-
bility of reversal of the usual result.