The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-05-02

Two vital local issues confront
Spokane republicans today as re.
suit of the Taft club banquet"
last night. The most serious is
what is to become of the dollar
each party member paid for a plate,
since but a small fraction of it was
obviously used for the purchase
of provender.
The second, and this Is all COM
edy, is what will become of Henry
McBride's speech with which he
had been primed and loaded and
for which the Cowles cohorts
what there is Of them-had like.
wise been primed and loaded.
Col. Ridpath, who also believes
he is candidate for the governor
ship, was present prepared to prove
his ability to take care of him
self.
But there wasn't anything to eat
worth mentioning and no Mcbride
or Ridpath speech whatever.
AS soon as r. A. Ballinger had
concluded the last Of the listed
toasts of the evening a great many
OF the republicans present-now,
who said they were all Mead men?
possessed Of the notion
that the proceedings were ended
and Immediately experienced al in
tense inclination to arise, shake
hands and discourse one to the
other most socially. Mcbride sat
at the heal Of the table, where he
had been mounted for the mos. ef-
fective action, and looked forth on
an animated bunch that seemed to
have forgotten his existence. There
was nothing discourteous about it
most of the guests simply being In
q hurry to connect with a beer car
rying a free lunch attachment in
order that they might realize some
what the sensation of being to
feed. They had had some cabbage
AMI some slabs Of cold pork. and
now they desired something to
eat
Another serious feature of the
session was the worry caused Mr..
Cowles for fear his hired man
might somehow slip a truthful &C
count of the affair into his morn
ing Mcbride organ. That matter
to. 1t is understood that
were concluded for
McBride's speech in
form of a campaign interview later,
when the republican horselaugh
has abated somewhat.
A strictly vaudeville stunt was
by the camp chairs, all
the guests participating. The in
tervals between cabbage and ice
cream were thickly punctuated by
dull thuds of highly respectable
being suddenly capsized by
the characteristic jackknifhg ten
iancies of the abandoned Chairs.
One victims neighbors would clus-
ter about cautiously on the slippery
floor and gently elevate him to the
ordeal of another attempt to sit
down.
1t was a game Of animated ten
pins. Mayor Moore sat rigid and,
desperate. David Ham clung'
to the coat tails Of his
dignity, and all over the
wide hall the who goes next?"
feeling prevailed with double
sway. II the Taft battle is fought
out on that line 1t will certainly
take all summer-and no end of
foraging for rations.
Judge Taft alone tread the peril
Gus boards as an admiral walks the
quarterback. And the judge turn
ed his full battery loose for the
benefit of Roosevelt. His mighty
voice could not have been more
resonant If he had eaten supper
before going into action. What he
did to the democrats he used to
flock with would be narrowing to
relate.
POSTMASTER Frank T. Post then
brought on Everett Smith from
Walla Walla, and w. S. Gilbert fol-
Lowell. Gilbert acted real nice.
Judge Miles e. Moore read
brief history of the republican
party, leaving out certain details
the democrats will doubtless attend
to later.
r. A. Ballinger, OF Seattle, related
of what the great men he
had hobnobbed with in Washing
ton said and thought about Taft. At
one Of the interesting junctures the