The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-05-14

| dominated by King county under
the leadership of John H. McGraw
and the price that was paid was
! strong endorsement tot Taft for
| president.
Everything gave way before that,
and the McGraw faction played the
| game strong. McGraw had been
Systematically reported as against
an instructed delegation for Taft,
and it was figured that hard fight
would be necessary to swing him
into line. His seeming surrender
came after King county had ar
| ranged the convention to suit her
self. Except for formal organiza-
night when the King county dele
cation came in and ratified the
work of it's steering committee.
The other counties had already
been lined up by diplomatic dis
| tribution of what convention ia
vors there were on tap.
In this parcelling out Seattle and
King county got McGraw for per-
manent chairman, r. A. Ballinger
delegate at large, and W. p.
Trimble presidential elector. Pierce
got j. M. Ashton temporary chair.
man, r. l.. Mccormick national
committeeman and delegate at
large. Spokane was given Frank
Post for delegate at large and D.
T. Ham district delegate. Post is
another railroad man. SnOhomish
was given w. j. Rucker, banker,
as delegate from the First dis
trict, in which list is included Rob-
ert Moran of San Juan.
Second district delegates are G..
F. Eaton, Of Thurston, and A. l..
Miller, of Clarke. ]. c. McCauley,
of Kittitas, was paired with Ham
as Third district delegate. Skagit
got the remaining delegate at
large in E. Hammer, Of Skagit.
The presidential electors are
Frank l.. Dallam, Okanogan; j. M.
Fish, Stevens; J. r. O'Donnell,
Chehalis; w. P. Trimble, King; c..
E. Kerlee, Pacific.
Jones men, led by Postmaster
Harrison, were busy until late last
night in their senatorial can
didates interest, but what they got
is problematical. Walla Walla is
! asking nothing from the conven-
ton, which looks suspicious, and
McGraw's forces are out and out
Ankeny. They are also sprinkled
heavily with Mcbride sentiment.
| The convention, after the morn
ing preliminaries, adjourned until
2:30, when it is predicted that the
slate will go through without a
hitch. 1t was arranged by holding
out the Taft endorsement first and
placating the stronger counties
with positions so skillfully ar
ranged as to block any combina-
ton against King county.
The platform will endorse Roose-
welt, call for the election of Taft
and carry the usual amount OF
regulation republican gospel
Never were there more help
less lot of individual delegates than
the various political headquarters
last night. They had received
their little favors where they had
any coming and had been told just
what to do. That's all there was
to 1t.
| A general lack of enthusiasm
and frightening of the belief
that it is altogether railroad con-
vention from start to finish was
noticeable this morning at the re-
publican state convention, which
convened at IL o'clock in the state
armory. John II. McGraw, of Sc
attic, placed in nomination James
NJ. Ashton, railroad attorney of Ia
| coma, for temporary chairman.
Judge NJ. j. Gordon, railroad attor-
tney and chairman of the Spokane
delegation. seconded and Mr.. Ash
ton was nominated by reclamation.
| From the time he took the chair
Mr.. Ashton, as republican was
heard to remark, made demo
Gratis" In a speech that was long
drawn, tedious and forcing to the
front of his own personality, Mr..
Ashton spent more than an hour
In a dreary rehearsal of popular
| topics, from Taftism to anarchy,
that wore out those of the cOnven-
ton whose dinners We're waiting
and who came prepared to see the
cut and dried slate which King
county prepared last night slid
through the convention with as
much ease as any creased ma
i chine.
Ashton's remarks drew no APP
plause except when occasionally he
referred TO William II. Taft and
the American flag. Among other
things, he said:
! IL have never sought or held any
office in the gift of the republicans,
but have been the recipient of
many honors. The election as the
temporary chairman Of this con-
vention in my home state is the
greatest honor of all
The only fault with the direct
primary law is that II has given
some of us pretty swift kick and
only allows us TO hold one of these
festivities every four years. We
| shau Lave to devise some other