The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-08-30
PALMER ALONE IN SECRET
ux1E CHAIRMAN USURPS THE
BOWERS OF MINOR OFF,
GALS OF COMMITTEE
"a. Takes Over All Direction Of the
Financial Matters and Keeps
Them Quiet.

With startling directness the true
eftuat5on in the republican state COM
ralttee has come to home to party
workers since the expose Of the Palmer
Jeffar to the postmasters throughout
the state. assessing them for campaign
purposes.
Secretary J. Will Lysons knew moth
ing Of The letter. Treasurer James d.
Yoze. Jr. was ignorant of its mailing.
seg,e nv one members of the state COM
fnIttee have disavOwed all knowledge.
Little by little it has been shown that
ssysaIrTnan Palmer himself sent out the
gstts.7s and asked for campaign funds.
whether he may have had private
counsel or not is immaterial to the
other members of the committee. The
CONCLUSION that they are forced to is
Int Palmer as chairman has usurped
fhs position Of treasurer and is assum-
ing 4 control of party finances that the
s-rnaqnjttre never intended he should
hAy.. and is astonished to know that
BE has taken over.
8ul for the exposure Of the letter
80 :he poStmasters members of the
41str committee might not have known
that the assessment was levied. While
r1o one will intimate that other assess
ancnts may have been levied in the
Same manner it is possible to do so.
The Theoretical Plan.
II the theory of party organization
Ibis plan is supreme. The state COM
sySiltee chooses an executive committee
chairman and secretary. The chairman
- responsible to the executive commit
@es and SD is the secretary. The eXecu-
rive committee through its control of
Ifsa treasurer has a check upon all exc
eutIve officers. Each performs bis own
functions and an advisory committee
Gands its counsel.
Precedent received a rude schock
when the state committee elected E. B.
Palmer chairman of the republican or
sanitation and gave him authority to
fAasnne all committees. secretary, treas
aTcr and other officials. This threw
Snio the control of the chairman the
entire party machinery. The manner
<s ats working is apparent.
Palmer the Whole Thing.
State committee officials have de-
<llned To give out a list of committees.
E'ussibly they have not been named
a~2d it is altogether probable that were
tFssy chosen Palmer is the only one who
could know of them. From sources
close to the committee. the fact that T.
ID. Rockwell, of Spokane; D. B.
rrocker of Tacoma and Walla Walla,
and George Dysart, of Chehalis, have
neen named to advise the state chair
Eslan.
So far as politicians know, Rockwell
Is the only man whom Palmer has con-
suited with much. Crocker is in Alas
:1a and Dysart has not been here Rock
SEX did spend some time in Seattle in
conferences with Palmer The other
gnemhers of the advisory board were
not here, but it is inferred by poll
tirians that hand was dealt to John
l. Wilson to make a quorum.
Whether this triumvirate outlined a
campaign or whether Palmer has ig-
zNored his advisory board, too, is a mat
E@r of political history that has little
snterest to other members of the state
organization. The apparent fact that
Palmer is it," accountable to no one
.11N reckless even in his administration
~ common affairs, is the startling de-
Nelopment of the past week that con-
r'ArnS the committeeman.