Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-03-11
A Candid Admission.

EHb4iNau IoiitlNl"u llC ""S '"tS'y
approached for an expression as to the
desire Of his party friends to submit
his name to the Republican Conven-
ton for head of the State ticket, when
he politely but firmly declined the
honor, and gave his reasons for so do.
ing briefly as follows:
Il am satisfied no man can be sue
cessiul in his candidacy for this office
unless he will first agree to submit to
railroad influence and dictation and sub
vert every interest Of the State, if neces-
sary, in obedience 10 their commands.
This | would never do or permit to be
done.
- During my term OF service as Sena-
tor in the upper house OF the Legislature
| have topposed measures which were
against the railroad interests. For this
! have been at times criticised. But all
of my labors have been aimed at simple
fairness and equality believing that the
welfare of the State is best preserved by
not arraying the people against any
great industry, and realizing that rail-
roads are not only public necessity but
a great civilizing and developing factor,
Neither do | believe the railroads should
be allowed to dictate to the people.
d" | believe in a Railroad Commission,
to be elected by the people, but who
may be removed by the Executive for
cause shown and proved. A commits
sion appointed by the present Governor,
/ believe, would be SO oppressive and
unreasonable as to destroy or unneces-
sarily hamper one of our great industries
the railroads. The State is not inter-
ested in an Executives private griev-
ances, prejudices or enmity.
During the last two years the 'pro-
railroad and anti-railroad' influences
and forces have been lined up in battle
array, and the next State Convention
will nominate either an anti.railroad
candidate or one favorable to its inter-
ests, resulting in continual war, much to
the detriment of the State and its tax
payers. This is wholly wrong.
My opinion ia the railroad forces
will win, as they always have in a fight
of this kind. Without their influence l
could not be elected or nominated; with
their influence, which would mean my
obedience to them, would not accept
the Office"
There is certainly much truth in this
statement, and had the railroad com.
panies consented to q fair valuation of
their property, and not resisted the
action OF the people through their
county officers in collecting fair and
equitable tax, there would have been
no reason why the corporations and
the people could not have made com.
mon cause in development Of resources
of mutual value and Importance. The
trouble originated somewhere, and we
assume that it was, as usual, in a de.
sire of wealth to escape fair taxation.
1t may have been possible, however,
that the people were quick in forming
ajudgment, and probably unprepared
to consider all the facts involved, but
they had become SO accustomed to the
speedy and arbitrary methods by which
individual tax delinquents were treat
ed, that they at once formed the con.
clusion that the method of admins.
trating law was quite different when
applied to wealth and the holdings Of
the poor man. Probably the method
was not so much different as tho re-
suits attained through the complicated
machinery they were able to bring into
play.
Everybody knows how the law may
be made to swerve from q straight
line, when one man is hung, another
imprisoned and still another freed for
the same crime, under the same law
still the law is not to blame. It il the
fallible judgment of man, which con-
strues it to mean one thing, or an.
other, a. his prejudices or inclinationi
may control him. This trait of poor
frail humanity is shown when a citizen
dOffs his hat to the man riding ia q
carriage, while be remains covered
when passed by the man with the bod
on his shoulder.
So it seems that, the law 10 what w
make it, after finding it on this statut.
book. If all the officers entrusted with
its execution, performed their simple
duty. it would be positive in results
and would need no special provisions
nor authorized commissions to lool
after its enforcement. If the assessors
the commissioners, the treasurers, The
judges and the jurymen all did theil
plain duty, and fairness and justice
pervaded their acts, as q logical anG
legal sequence, it follows that there
could be no results to justify fault
finding. The railroads would doubt
less prosper far better to be in accort
with the people, and to have their ait
and sympathy in all measures tina
would then be for mutual improve
ment. No enterprise can attain full
measure of success when operated un
der open hostility of its patrons, who's,
opposition reaches through many neg
alive agencies if not positive acts o
malevolence.
It might be possible that, should tn,
railroad nagnates and the common
people come together, there would b,
fewer issues for politicians to ride al
hobbies, and it might happen tina,
same of our people trying to get int
Office, or stay in Office, would immedi
ately find that their favorite methot
for making political capital had van
ished; but would not the benefits de
rived by those who pay instead Of alb
sorb taxes, be enhanced, as is suggest
ed by Senator Plummer, with the in
evitable result that q continuous vic
tory of q powerful opponent at thu
polls would be relegated to the past
and M moro vnada tha co..,. ae -.