The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-03-04
WOULD ACCEPT HIGH HONOR
Democrat McCroskey, Of Garfield, Il
Willing to Run for Governor.

Willing to Run for Governor.
GARFIELD, Wash, March 4.-There
is a strong probability that Whitman
county will send solid delegation for
R. c. McCrosky, the democratic war
horse of this country, and he can
have the delegation if he expresses the
slightest wish for it. At the present
! time McCrosky is noncommittaI on the
subject. He is an enthusiastic advO-
cate of a railroad commission and has
stated that if Mcbride is nominated
for governor he will not become a can
didate, as he will not do anything to
endanger the commission plan.
But, should Mcbride be defeated for
nomination, McCrosky will probably
enter the race, and if he does so the
solid backing of Whitman, and many
other agricultural counties of the
east side. Mr.. McCrosky is probably
the most prominent democrat in Whit
man county, and is one Of the leaders
of the party. He has served four years
in the state senate and was a delegate
to the national convention which
nominated Cleveland in 1902. and has
been a regent of the Washington Ag
rcultural college eight years. He is
a cousin of w. E. McCrosky of Pa
louise, who was the democratic nOmi-
nee for lieutenant governor in 1900.
In fact, the McCrosky family composes
a large portion of the democratic party
in this county, and all are prominent
in business professions and politics.
S. NJ. McCrosky, another cousin Of r.
c., is county school superintendent Of
Whitman county having been elected
by large majority at the last election,
despite the fact that the republicans
elected nearly all Of the county Off
GERS and five out of six legislative Of
ficers.
Hon. r. c. McCroskey is one of the
most successful farmers of Whitman
county. He has made a fortune in
farming, and his home is the finest res
idence in this town. He was among the
first settlers in Whitman county, and
took an active part in politics from
his settlement in the county. In 1890
he was electer senator and made an
enviable record. At that time the rate
charged by the railroads for hauling
grain from eastern Washington to
tidewater was $3.50 per ton. Mr.. Nc
known as the Wassan bill, which re-
duced this rate to IS per ton. The
! bill was introduced by Senator Was
sau, because he was a republican, and
that party had control of the legisla-
ture. Governor Ferry was absent
I from the state, ana Lieutenant-Gov-
ernor Lawton vetoed the bill, after
which the railroads made voluntary
reduction of IS cents per ton, making
| the rate 1915. At the next session of
! the legislature this bill was again
taken up by Senator McCrosky and
| passed over the veto and became a
law. Senator McCrOsky was also the
! author of the Anderson freight-rate
! bill, passed in the session of 1893
which reduced the rate 10 1925 per
ton. In 1894 Mr.. McCrosky was re-
nominated by reclamation, but was
defeated by L. c. Grow, populist, in
the populistic landslide, which swept
Whitman county that year. Although
| frequently impOrtuned to do so, Mr..
McCrosky has never allowed his name
to be used as candidate for any Of
flee during recent years, but such
strong pressure is being brought to
bear upon him to become candi-
date for governor that he has practi-
cally consented to allow the use of his
name only on condition that Mcbride
is not nominated by the republicans.
GOVERNMENT WILL RETALIATE