The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-10-07
Manv Potent Reasons Advanced Why
the Voters Should Support the
Democratic Ticket.

candidates for state offices. In his in
PRODUCTION of the hand book Chairman
j. w. Goodwin has this to say:
ITO the 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
dominant issues in the state campaign
are:
| "F'irst-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;
shall party performance be made to
square with party promise?
"Second-Shall the people regulate
the corporations or the corporations
| dominate the state; shall our political
| conventions express and our leglsla-
lures carry out the will of the people,
or shall they continue to be dominated
by a corrupt railroad lobby; shall we
have a primary election law whicn
will bring the state and local govern
ments into closer relations with the
people?
"Third-Shall We establish in Wash
ington non-partisan appontative, reg
ulate railroad commission?
''Fourth-Shall we attempt. in good
faith, to more equtabIy adjust the
burden of taxation?
"F'ifth-Shall the next legislature
pass, and the next governor sign, an
effective anti-pass law. carrying out
the provisions of our state constitu-
ton, as a means of closing one of the
avenues to official malfeasance and
corruption?
We hold these truths to be indelli
bly, written in the political history of
Washington; that the republican party
in its state convention of 1902 sacredly
| promised the people Il railroad COM
|
the republican Legislature of 1908, act
| ing under the orders of the railroad
lobby. failed and refused to carry out
those promises; that every republican
state nominating convention, since the
admission of the state, has promised
the people regulative railroad legisla-
| ton, and that every republican admin
istration has failed and refused to pass
any such legislation. except sucn as
| companies; that the recent convention
at Tacoma, which pretends to have
represented the republican party, was
not. in fact, d representative cOnVen-
ton and did not, in fact represent the
voters of the republican party and seek
to reflect and promulgate their wishes,
but, on the contrary, took it's orders
direct from railroad boss; that act
ing under those orders that cOnven-
ton refused to promise the people of
the state regulative railroad Legislation
which the people demand; that the So
called republican organization in this
state has fallen completely under the
domination of the men and influences
responsible for the betrayal of the
convention promises of 1902 and all
previous convention promises of this
| character: that the republican party,
| if it shall be returned to power will
not create a railroad commission, nor
will it seek equitably to adjust the
! burdens of taxation, nor will it throw
| off the influences of the corrupt rail-
road lobby. now so firmly fastened
upon it; that fourteen holdover state
senators are. upon their public records,
! opposed to regulative railroad legisla-
ton. and that eight republican nomi-
nees for the state senate are, on their
public records, also opposed to such
legislation, rendering it absolutely i'm
possible to secure such legislation from
republican Legislature should one be
for governor is, on his public record,
opposed to such legislation, except
such as is approved 'by the railroad
companies and that he is under obli-
cations to the railroad lobby for his
nomination.: that the managers of the
republican campaign 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 non
estly in favor of such legislation it
could easily induce the republican gov
ernor to assemble the republican leg
islature in extraordinary session and
pass it, thus redeeming the promise
of 1902, sacredly made to the people.
We present for your consideration
the following facts: That the demo-