The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-10-25

the authority OF most of its MEM
bers, has been boss-ruled, machine
ruled, mOney-ruled political con-
ventions. The people of Washing
ton have lost confidence in the
bOss-ruled convention system. Ii
is but natural that they should
lack confidence in supreme judges
who are the hand picked fruit of
such conventions.
This Is the story of the boss of
the system and the system of the
boss.
OF the five members of the
court now candidates for re-elec-
tion one was nominated and anoth-
er renominated in the Farrell
bossed republican state conven-
tion of 1904, a convention which
was the very flower of the boss
ruled convention system.
A few weeks ago a storm of in
dignation swept over this state in
protest againts the methods and
the results of the hand picked ju-
dicial convention, which convened
in Tacoma Aug. 3, 1910, and re-
nominated five members of the
present court. In the primary
election of Sept. 10 the people of
the state violently repudiated
much of the work of that conven-
tion.
But the hand picked convention
of Aug. 3, 1910, was a sweet-scent-
ed Sunday school picnic of politi-
cal propriety when compared with
the notorious Farrell-bossed con-
vention of May II, 1904. That
Farrell convention was so very
Irregular" so very 'IoyaI to the in
terests of the party" that after it
had been organized into apprOpri-
ately subservient steering commit
tees, il suspended operations until
ii could send To Seattle for j. ID.
Farrell, the assistant to the presi-
dent of the Great Northern rail-
road, TO steer those steering COM
mittees.
The story of the Farrell con-
vention is indelibly written in the
public political history of Wash
ington. The popular indignation
which it aroused discredited and
brought the overthrow of the con-
vention system. The story is re-
peated here but briefly on ac-
count of its bearing upon the re-
cent relations between the SUI
preme court and the Great North
eTn railroad.
That convention was conceived
In jobbery and conducted in braz-
en- disregard of both political de-
cency and the well known wishes
of the people of the state. Prior
to 1904 il had been the custom in
this state to hold two republican
state conventions in presidential
years, one to select delegates to
the national convention, one to
nominate state officers. The job
bers In charge of the machinery
of the party decided that year up
on one convention. Regarding
that decision, Congressionman
Tawney, one of the managers that
year of the national republican
campaign, said:
IF INSCRIPTIONS bosses wanted
to manipulate the politics of the
state l can see why they should
want to do away with the fall con-
vention and do all the business in
the spring. The one convention
proposition generally means that
somebody is trying to job things"
This proved to be the case in
this instance. Inscriptions boss
es we're trying to job things, and
they succeeded. Calling county
conventions before much public in
terest had been aroused in state
of them to authorize single indi-
viduals to name all the state dele
gates from the county. Fully half
the delegates were named in this
manner. And the delegates os
named were selected by and took
their orders from their corporation
bosses. Not surreptitiously and in
secret, but openly, VIGOROUSLY and
boastingly.
This is not a catalogue of crime,
but here are a few of the offenses
committed by that Farrell conven-
ton:
It nominated for lieutenant-gov-
ernor an old guard politician, who,
during two sessions of the legis-
Iature, maintained free booze
room for the liquor interests in a.
room in the state capitol opening
off the senate chamber.
It nominated for prominent
state office man who had been
indicted for embezzlement In an
Eastern state.
IL nominated for land commits
sioner political henchman of the
timber-grabbers, under whose adj
Ininistration the people have lost
millions of dollars by the sale of
state land for grossly inadequate
compensation.
It nominated for secretary of
state an old guard politician, who
was last year forced TO resign from
his office when confronted by
charges which threatened TO lead
to his impeachment by the Iegisla-
ture and his prosecution in court.
It nominated for governor an
obscure lawyer who prior to the
assembling of the convention, had
never even been suggested as a.
candidate for that office. and who
as governor winked at the doings
of Insurance Commissioner j. III.
schiyely, and appointed as adju-
fanf-generaI o man who robbed
che state of $50, 900, which he
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