The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-04-27
POLITICIANS ARE AGAIN FIGUR-
ING ON THE STATE PO-
LlTICAL PLUMS
Chadwick May Get on the Railway
Commission-He Looks Good to
Governor Mead

The formal announcement that Gov
ernor Mead had appointed H. A. Fair
child as one of the members of the
railway commission, has set the poll
ticians to figuring on who will be the
other two members.
1t is well understood by politicians
that the executive will allow Fair
child's name to stand for a time, long
or short, as circumstances dictate, and
then the two other appointees will be
made known, is a report that comes
from the Sound. The other men of the
commission will be persons personally
satisfactory to Fairchild, and the rail-
road commissioners patronage is
something the executive will not at
tempt to dictate.
After the appointment of G. w. Cor
man as state printer, Governor Mead
assured Jack Payne, of Chinook, that
he would find a place for the latter
about July 1, which would be, worth
at least $4,000 per year. Some poll
ticians have construed this to mean
that Payne was to be forced upon the
railroad commission as secretary, but
it is just as likely that the oil inspec-
tors job will be held out for him.
Cutting the Pie
The governor has made personal ap-
pointments under officials in charge of
the various state institutions and Of
fered the secretaryship of the tax COM
mission to at least one prominent re-
publican worker. But no one in state
politics believes that Fairchild is the
dominant influence in the railroad
commission, and will allow the patron
age of that body to get out of his
hands. The story that George e. Dick
son of Ellensburg was promised the
berth during the legislative fight has
never been denied.
Fairchild has been busy recently Wis
iting sections of the state interested in
the appointment of other members of
the commission. He has personally in
terviewed some of the more prominent
candidates, and when the appointments
are announced it is pretty certain the
men will bear Fairchilds stamp of
approval Politicians understood that
when the commission bill passed that
Fairchiid would name the commission,
and nothing has happened to work any
change in this opinion.
May Be Chadwick.
Governor Mead had determined a
short time ago upon the appointment
of S. ]. Chadwick as a second men,
Der of the commission and was hesitat-
ing between w. L. Benham of Spo-
kane, and George w. Dickinson of Sc
attic. Benham, in the event of mis- ap-
pointment, was to be charged up to
King because he once lived in Seattle.
Fairchild has had interviews with both
men, but he has not yet indicated
preference.
The appointment of L. Davies, of Da-
venport as state dairy and pure food
commissioner, to succeed A. E. Nc
Donald of Seattle, was only unexpect-
ed to politicians in that it located him
in Seattle Davies made a fight for
recognition as soon as the returns had
been counted and Mead was shown to
have been elected governor. He orig
inally entertained a pretty strong be-
lief that the appointment as mem
Der of the railroad commission would
satisfy him and his people, and it is
probably because the executive is paw
ing the way for tossing commission
appointment n a new direction that he
announced he had taken care of Da-
vies at the time he made public Fair
chied's choice.