The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-07-24
ANKENY CLAIMS SEATTLE.
Walla Walla Senator Said to Have |:
Pull There.


lowing information regarding the
| fight of Senator Levi Ankeny for re-
election:
United States Senator Levi An.
keny expects King county to support
him for senator, and politicians rec
ognize the fact that he has claim
on this county that the anti-Ankeny
leaders have ignored He was not
bound by any ties to place his money
at Seattle's disposal in financial tran
sactions when this city needed it,
but he did. Politically Seattle had
done co nparatively nothing for him,
| aside from the support granted la
1899, but Ankeny threw his strength
In 1905 to Piles and elected the first
King county senator since Squire
stepped out of the senate in 1897.
The Piles-Sweeny deal would never
have been of serious consequence
had Anieny withheld his approval.
When the new King county member
entered the senate, Ankeny was Of
fered a place on the senate commit.
tee on commerce, but he withdrew
in Plies favor to give west side
member the vote and influence he
figured western Washington needed.
He has voted consistently with Piles
ever since.
"Those are the principal reasons
Ankeny figures for which King coun
ty must lead a fight for his reelec-
ton. He has not Disseminated
against other sections of the state,
but the political cards have so fallen
that King county and Seattle have
gotten the benefit of most of An.
keny's endeavors.
THE old Ankeny organization was
strongest in southwestern Washing
ton, but Ankeny support helped pull
through some of the biggest fights
the northwest. Neither Ankeny
nor his friends expect much help
from Governor Mead, though An
keny delivered the Wal,a Walla dele
cation to the Whatcomb candidate
in 1904. Cushman has announced
he is to support Jones and to at.
tempt to deliver him the Pierce coun-
ty vote. Pierce's attitude will de-
pend somewhat upol whether either
OF two or three men in that county
mentioned as candidates get into the
fight, and whether there is any
chance in the coming senatorial CAM
paign to build up reciprocal ar
rangement and deliver votes to a
Pierce county candidate against
Piles in 1910.
pierce wants a senator of it's own.
That county wants the job now or
wants it promised two years later,
and a great deal depends in the
Pierce county vote upon the pros
pect ultimately giving that county
a senator. Neither Ankeny's friends
nor Jones managers can figure with
any degree of certainty upon Pierce
county despite Cushman's statement.
"Ankeny is the strongest factor
in the politics of southeastern Wash
ington, and he is strong throughout
the east side. Jones comedies that
Ankeny would carry his home dis
tricts by good vote, and what the
two men running against each other
in eastern Washington could do is a
matter that could not be foretold be-
fore organization work has had a
chance to reveal the feelings of the
voters, who will have more to say
next year than they have ever said
before. The vote of man who has
never been heard of in politics counts
just as strongly under direct primary
as the political boss who used to de-
liver delegation, and no one has
tried to find out what the new class
of voters will do.
"Ankeny needs good organiza-
ton to win out. The men who have
fought his battles in the past are
willing to stay with him again. but
organizing the Ankeny forces and
they will not move until Ankeny says
he Is going into the fight in a de-
termined sort Of way. When he
was here Ankeny said he would not
make that kind of move until next
year. Jones said yesterday that he
had no intention of starting his cam
paign until 1908. 1t may be that
Ankeny's first definite statement of
his candidacy means he is to attempt
thorough organization Immediately,
and il it does it means he will follow
up the systematic efforts in every
county that he made in 1900, 1901
and 1902. When he decided he real
ly intended to be elected in 1903 An
keny began three years in advanc.
TO prepare for 1t, and he organized
down to precincts wherever there was
a chance. II he makes that kind of
a fight again he is going to be most
dangerous kind of factor II he
allows the senatorial question to be
submitted without organization the
result will be last-minute guess of
a rather disinterested populace.
Just before he left Seattle for his
home in Walla Walla, going by way
of Portland, Ankeny won two victor
les here that showed the effect of
his influence. He succeeded in keep
ing the office of Chinese immigra-
ton inspector, ordered removed from
Walla Walla, in his home town, and
induced United States Engineer Chit
tenden to recommend a survey for
the opening of the upper Columbia
river that will result in opening a
new empire to settlement That kind
of politics will have an influence in
, no riol RrrHt