Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-10-21
SHALL THEY RUlE7
This IS the Opening Query of the State Cam
paen Handbook. Applied to Railroads.
:KS OF WASHINGTON:

To TIE VOTERS OF WASHINGTON:
The Democratic party Of Washing
ton, in appealing to you to support
the Democratic State and county
tickets, does so upon the declaration
that the dominent issues in the State
campaign are:
First-Do political promises mean
anything; shall political parties, legis-
latures and public officials be required
to fulfill the pledges sacredly made by
the party in convention assembled; ;
square with party promise?
Second-Shall the people regulate
the corporations or the corporations
dominate the State; shall our political
conventions express and our legisla-
lures carry out the will OF the people,
or shall they continue to be dominated
by a corrupt railroad lobby; shall we
have primary election law which will
bring the State and local governments
into closer relations with the people?
Third-Shall we establish in Wash.
ington a non partisan appointive, reg
ulative railroad commission?
Fourth-Shall We attempt, in good
faith, to more equitably adjust the
burdens OF taxation?
Fifth-Shall the next Legislature
pass. and the next Governor sign, an
effective anti-pass law, carrying out
the provisions of our constitution, as
means OF closing one of the avenues tc
official malfeasance and corruption?
p We hold these truths to he indelibly
written in the political history Of
Washington: That the Republican
party in its State Convention of 1902
sacredly promised the people rail.
road commission and an anti-pass law,
and that the Republican Legislature
of 1903, acting under the orders of the
railroad lobby, failed and refused to
carry out those promises; that every
Republican State nominating conven-
ton since the admission of the State,
has promised the people regulative
railroad legislation, and that every Re.
publican administration has failed and
refused TO pass any such legislation,
except such as received the approval of
the railroad companies; that the re.
cent convention at Tacoma, which
pretends to have represented the Re-
publican party, was not, in fact, a rep.
Tesentative convention and did not, in
fact, represent the voters of the Re-
publican party and seek to reflect and
promulgate their wishes, but on the
contrary, took its orders direct from a
railroad boss; that acting under these
orders that convention refused to
promise the people of the State regu.
lative railroad legislation, which the
people demand; that the so-called Re-
publican organization in this State
has fallen completely under the domi-
nation OF the men and influences re-
sponsible for the betrayal of the con.
vention promises of 1902 and all previ.
Gus convention promises of this char
acter: that the Republican party, if it
shall be returned to power. will not
create railroad commission, nor will
it seek equitably to adjust the burdens
vi thA0tlOup uOI Will ~ tutOV OA tlO
influences of the corrupt railroad lob
by, now SO firmly fastened upon it;
that fourteen holdover Senators are,
upon their public records. opposed to
regulative railroad legislation, and that
eight Republican nominees for the
State Senate are, on their public rec.
ords, also opposed to such legislation,
rendering it absolutely impossible to
secure such legislation from Repub.
lican Legislature, should one be elect
ed; that the Republican candidate for
Governor is, on his public record, op.
posed to such legislation, except such
as is approved by the railroad compa.
nies, and that he is under obligation
to the railroad lobby for his nomina-
ton; that the managers OF the Re-
publican cam paign and the Republi-
can candidates for Office refuse to say
that they favor a regulative railroad
commission. but evade the question
that if the Republican party were hon
estly in favor of such legislation it
could easily induce the Republican
Governor to assemble the Republican
Legislature in extraordinary session
and pass it. thus redeeming the prom.
Use of 1902, sacredly made to the peo.
pie.
We present for your consideration
the following facts: That the Demo.
cratic party has declared itself on
these issues in language which is in
capable of double construction; that
it has nominated a complete ticket OF
men whose public records show them
to be in sympathy with these declara-
tions; that it has nominated for Gov
ernor a statesman and jurist of ma
tional and international reputation, a
man whose whole political life has
been a consistent protest against the
evils which now beset and threaten
our State government; that the DEM
ocratic party has carried to full frui.
ton, whenever given the opportunity,
all the promises it has ever made for
legislation of this character; that if
given control of the State government
it will do so again.