The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-04-20

upon friendly grounds, habit the
Scobey- Madge faction has of trimming
to meet new breezes. Mills was
schooled politically in this factional
alliance against Wilson. His county
wanted nothing to do with Mead when
the Tacoma convention was held, and
it was with reluctance that the north
west and southwest combines accepted
the Whatcom county candidate. The
Lord interests are those of Mead in
this fight, and that is why Mills is
lined up with the governor.
The politician does not exist VINO
can tell the length Of time E. w. Ross
will stay with Mead. He promised al
legiance to Foster, Piles and Sweeny
and had behind him long record of
Ankenyism and anti wisconsin when
he went into office. But ne showed
up as Wilson's personal manager as
soon as the perennial candidate need
ed grooming. The alliance with Ross
may be binding tomorrow and it may
not. In the beginning, Ross was
pledged to the purchase Of the water
tend an irrigation meeting when the
sale was to be acted upon. Port
Townsend people understood he mad
decided to vote against them. Clau-
sen feels the electric shock when E..
G. Ames presses the Kitsap county
button. Clausen is of the "sawdust
ring" and Ames owns that bit of
jewelry. Ames in turn seeks Wilson
for council. It is a rather circuitOus
route from Mead, through Wilson and
Ames to Clausen, but political ext
gencies make it short.
1t is rather significant that Mead
rushed to a consultation with w. T..
Dovell when troubles came upon him.
Dovell spent his own time and money
in the Mead fight. To begin with he
wanted the appointment of Judge
George E. Morris on the supreme
bench. Mead promised it and E. c.
Hughes was sent to Olympia to fetch
back the appointment. He was smil-
ing on the doorstep when Mead an
nounced another man had been named.
Dovell had an old schoolmate at
Walla Walla. He was a surgeon at
hof to
sought by medical men for the pres
tige and experience it gives. Dovell
thought he would be able to save his
old friend, but Mead allowed him to
be dismissed.
Yet it was to Dovell that the governor
turned for help wnen he decided to
make a fight against the bond pur-
chase. E. G. Hughes, who, with Do
veil, has superintendent the attorney
generals official staff as counsel for
the governor, is the president of The
PostFntelligencer company and has
for years been a close political and
business associate of ex-senator Will
son.
This fight has lined up the state
officers with Mead heading faction
which includes E. w. Ross, land COM
missioner; c. w. Clausen, state audi
tor; George c. Mills, state treasurer.
Ross had five of the thirteen votes in
his own county last year; none two
years earlier. The sawdust ring made
Clausen and Mills belong to the SEQ
hey faction that has been twice
beaten in Thurston county within the
year.
He does not appear in the lineup,
but Lieut.. Gov. Coon is the real head
of the dominant faction of state Off
Gals The governor nap
pens in this instance to be the real
party at interest through his place as
mayor of Port Townsend, but he is the
leader of the anti-Mead faction of
state officials anyway. Incidentally,
he is the strongest factor politically
tenant governor has the members of
the state senate behind him, and their
wide political influence is worth con-
Sidering.
Sam H. Nichols, secretary of state;
r. B Bryan, superintendent of public
instruction, and J. D. Atkinson are of
the anti-Mead combinatio Just as
matter of interest politically, each
of these men has influence at home.
Nichols influence in Snohomisn coun-
ty is undisputably predominant; no
one has questioned Atkinson's abil-
! ity to control in Chelan since he
| cleaned up M. E. Field and others
aligned against him; Bryan has had
Chehalis county support whenever ne
wanted it, and his nomination was one
of the conditions demanded by the
southwest combination.
| The Mead fight against Lieut.. Gov.
| ;c oCic Of hn