The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1904-09-03

desired me as a candidate. Upon
close investigation and inquiry
among the members / find that no
such canvass was made by the recent
nominating committee, who seemed
TO assume that they were elected
strictly on the Bronson ticket and
that their duty was to nominate Mr..
Bronson and the slate prepared for
them.
Urged To Be Candidate.
After the nomination of Mr.
Bronson | was urged to become a
candidate. Before the election of the
nominating committee | was asked to
be aacandidate and refused positively
and earnestly, as | did not wish the
once. neither took interest my
self nor asked my friends to take an
interest in that election. After the
committee had made the nominations
1t developed that here was a very
strong sentiment in favor of an oppo-
sltion ticket, and it became so strong
that it looked as if it might mean
the loss to the Chamber of a good
many members who had not been
consulted and who were not present
at the meeting, and who had been
surprised by the election of nom
mating committee by the admission
of proxies, an innovation in Cham
Der of Commerce elections, and by
the subsequent action of that com
mittee. 1t is due alone to tne inter
est that | feel in the Chamber OF
Commerce and my anxiety to hold
together the members thus dissatis-
fled that finally allowed my name to
be used as a candidate.
Not Anti-Foster Movement.
Since becoming a candidate find
that certain stories are being circu-
lated to hurt my candidacy, and
among them is one that this is an
Anti-Foster movement. This is not
true and the men making the asser-
tons, | believe, know that it is not
true. And in justice to Senator Fos-
ter | would say that he has absolute
ly repudiated such statements 1t
has also been said that this is a
movement to help the election of
John l.. Wilson, the untruth of which
is emphasized by the fact that every
strong Wilson man in the city and
every man who has held office under
Wilson is opposing my candidacy.
The reason | have been opposed to
the reelection of Mr.. Bronson is
fully known to him. | told him last
fall that when he became a candidate
for state senator and got into politics
that he would impair his usefulness
as president of the Chamber of Com
merce, and that, while would like
to favor him for either one or the
other, l could not consistently favor
him for both positions, as | felt that
the president of a commercial organ
ization of a city of the Importance of
Tacoma should not be even Suspected
of being controlled by corporations,
to whom he would necessarily have
to owe his political honors
Membership Falling Of.
THE Chamber of Commerce is
supported entirely by voluntary sub
scriptions by men who when they
pay their two dollars a month, feel
and hope that the money is being
spent to support an organization that
will fairly and honestly represent
the commercial interests of the city.
Just so soon as they even suspect
that the organization is being run
in the interests of a few corporations
they will cease their contributions.
This lack of confidence is already
manifest, inasmuch as the member
ship during the year before last had
increased 100 over the previous year,
while during the past year, with the
number of new business houses and
the great addition to our population,
the membership has fallen off.
81 understand that claims are
made that, inasmuch as Mr.. Bronson
has served one year, he Is entitled to
denomination This position is In
consistent with Mr. Bronsons posi-
ton one year ago, as Mr. Bronson
and the people who are now behind
him had, during by absence, planned
to make him president without con-
See Signor and Madame Bolli in