The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-02-22

lent bias and prejudice, fed with the
flames of editorial bigotry-this man
set up to be the Moses who would
lead invested millions to a financial
Israel: incidentally working his re-
venge on the railroad interests for
whom he entertained spite.
At first there were many to follow
him. No one looked behind the screen
of fabricated editorials to see what
skeleton might be hiding there. A
railroad commission sounded good,
looked good.
But. later. there were men whose
lives have been devoted to the calm
consideration OF commercial prob
lens who applied their trained wis.,
dom to the consideration of the COM
mission problem. They found the
skeleton.
But by that time Durhamism had
been hidden beneath the glitter of
McBrideism. From an editorial
proposition the commission theory
had grown to be a political deal.
1t was popular cry for the poll
ticians to work with the people. The
people followed the false gods of
Durhamism and McBrideism.
The business man, whose salvation
was to be worked out, was completely
buried beneath the popular waves. A
protest branded the protestant as
creature of the railroads.
Never did Debsism contain more
deadly danger than Durhamism trans
formed into McBrideism. The people
clamored for a commission. The
politicians saw their opportunity and
shouted for Il commission. Nelson w.
Durham grew fat upon this meat and
yelled for a commission.
They are about to get 1t!
But ask the jobber, the manufac-
turer, or the mill owner of Spokane
II he wants a railroad commission.
He will tell you NO-A THOUSAND
TIMES NO!
That is odd. you will say. The
commission bill, so Mr. Durham tells
us, will benefit the jobber. the manu-
faCturer and the mill man of Spo-
kane.
But does 1t?
At the behest of The Spokane Press
l am going to prove to you in a
series of articles, based on the ripe,
keen judgment of the men whose ruin
is threatened, that 1T DOES NOT
BENEFIT THE BUSINESS INTER
ESTS OF SPOKANE!
The Spokane Press, regarding the
requests of the men who are work.
ing desperately to save Spokane COM
merce from utter ruin, kept secret
for weeks the damaging facts which,
If known on the coast, would swing
those coast delegations into hearty
support of any sort of a commission
bill.
Steps were taken to send an able
committee to Olympia to plead for
the defeat of the very bill which the
people elected their representatives
to support. But the presence of those
men, working to save the business
interests of Spokane, was quickly
spread broadcast by the Spokesman
Review, which took pains to advise
the coast shippers of the trap into
which Spokane business interests
were led.
Because OF this II Is time to come
out and let the people know how
they have been fooled. Business
men, whose interests are involved
and threa tened. have agreed that fur
Their secrecy is unavailing. Out of
the Durham mouth the enemies of
Spokane have been informed.
II the railroad commission bill
any bill which establishes a railroad
commissioning passed by this legis-
lature It will affect disastrously ONE
HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IN
VESTED IN SPOKANE MANUFAC-
TURING AND JOBBING.
II WILL MEAN THE ABOLITION
OF THREE MILLIONS OF DOL
LARS PAID BY THE MANUFAC-
TURERS AND JOBBERS AS YEAR
LY WAGES TO PEOPLE LIVING
IN SPOKANE.
Does that jar you? DO you be-
love 1t?
Continued on page, A.