The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-12-20
FRIENDS CLAIM AS HIGH As
FIFTY VOTES FOR TACOMA
MAN.
George Stevenson Said to Be at work
in an Effort to Break
Delegation.

friends of Senator Addison G. Foster
evnress confidence in his reelection
The fact that his opponents acknowl-
edge that he has more votes to start
with than has any of his rivals, is
itself a thing to inspire confidence,
and he has behind him practically
solid sentiment of his home city and
county, which Samuel H. Piles of Sc
attic does not have The people OF
Tacoma will visit swift and condign
political punishment on the Pierce
county legislator who breaks away
from Senator Foster before it has been
demonstrated beyond peradventure
that he can not be elected.
The inner circle of Foster mana
gers say that their candidate has be-
tween IS and so votes. Some of those
who are taking an active part in his
campaign claim over so for him on
opponents in the state conceded in a
private conversation the other day
that he has AZ, and that no other cam
didate can claim over 35. 1t takes
SO votes to elect
Christians to Manage Fight.
State Senator Walter Christian is
to manage Mr.. Fosters fight for re-
election, though some other man not
connected with the legislature may
have honorary title to manager. Sen
ator Christian,' with George Steven
son, managed Senator Ankeny's sue
year Mr. Stevenson is one of the man
ayers of Charles Sweeny's fight and
the two erstwhile friends find them
selves not only in opposition POLITICAL
ly, but personal enemies as well, and
thereby hangs a tale, without the tell
ing of which the present situation in
Pierce county can not be understood.
Stevenson was the head of the rail-
road lobby. He quarrelled with J. d.
l
j. Hill of the Northern Securities COM
pany, and was either depOsed as chief
lobbyist or retired to avoid being de-
posed. He started out to slaughter the
Farrell contingent at the Tacoma con-
vention, and counted upon the co-ope-
ration of Mr.. Christian and of B. S.
Grosscup, division counsel of the
Northern Pacific. They elected to
stand by Mr.. Farrell and refused to
cooperate with Stevenson.
In doing SO they undoubtedly alien
ated from Foster a number of Steven
sons friends, including Senator Geo.
H. Baker, of klickitat county, who
was Stevenson's candidate for COVER
nor after Mr.. Farrell had forced the
retirement earlier of Senator j. j.
Smith of King county from the guber-
material race
Say They Did 1t for Foster.
Messrs. Christian and Grosscup
have never made any public explana-
ton of why they broke With Steven
to friends his reason for the break,
and it is that he was forced to it to
protect Senator Foster.
Mr.. Christian claims to have dis
covered before the state convention
that Mr.. Stevenson was planning to
elect Ny. Sweeny to the senate and
says that if a governor of Stevenson's
choosing had been named it would
have been a blow at Senator Fosters
reelection Christian was the domi-
mating man on the Pierce county
steering committee, and set his face
against the nomination of Mr.. Baker
and of B. D. Croker, and says now he
did it because they were Sweeny men.
The Pierce county delegation to the
state convention was selected with
view to advancing Mr.. Fosters inter-
ests.
The Stevenson men charge that
a
sincere supporter of Foster, and that
Mr.. Grosscup wants the senatorship
himself. Whatever Mr. Grosscup's
ambitions, it is clearly up to Mr.. Chris
lan. IN order to save his reputation
at home, to elect Mr.. Foster if he can.
ana his friends say he fully realizes
the responsibility which is upon him
ana that he will leave no stone I'M
turned. If he wins he will be the m
disputed leader of Pierce county noli-
ties and a man with a strong position
in the state.
IN King county the effort to break
the delegation away from the local
candidate is being made by another
local candidate. In Pierce county the
enort to break the delegation is being
hade In the interest of a candidate
outside of the county-namelv in tho