The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1928-05-24
POLITICS And POLITICIANS
BY Horace R. cayton

warned, fellows, to make haste slow
ly in precipitating a political WASH
ington guerilla war or you will kill
the goose that lays the golden egg.
The eommissioner's fight in the
first district of King County is TAX
ing on a more or less ugly complex
and the final outcome at this writing
is rather speculative. For a time
there seemed to have been something
of a gentleman's agreement between
Claud C. Ramsay and Don Evans as
to which would file for the nomina-
ton, but somehow or other Evans
kicked over the traces and announced
| his candidacy, Ramsay to the con-
trary notwithstanding. Whether or
not Ramsay will now enter the race
| is more or less problematical, but
on this point he is keeping ibis own
counsel. Many of Ramsay's friends
are very DESTROYS of him entering the
race for Representative in Congress
from the Seattle-Kitsap district, but
to this he is again keeping his own
counsel. There seems to be no good
and sufficient excuse for Ev a n S
jumping into this commissioner fight
as he already holds one of the best
paying offices in the county, and with
two more years to serve. With RAM
say and Evans in the fight it would
almost be cakewalk for Henry
Beck. who also has announced his
intention of filing for the Republican
nomination.
Speaking about Ramsay being a
candidate for commissioner and be-
ing opposed by Don Evans and
others, there are about 5000 colored
voters in Seattle, who will be prac-
tically unanimous for Ramsay, and all
because they remember. when he was
county commissioner for six years,
he saw to it that seven colored men
were steadily employed as caretakers
of the County-C City Building, and they
rather think he will be equally
fair to them if he again becomes
county commissioner. Others might
be equally fair, but they know he
will be if his past is criterion of
his future.
There being something like $4,000
colored votes in the state of Wash
ington, the question arises, what
would happen to some of the polit-
zeal aspirants, if for once the colored
voters would forget their differences
and unitedly fall in behind some CUB
ernatorial aspirant? Under good
leadership this vote would be able
to almost make of itself the balance
of power in the primary election and
nominate its man, but even though
it did not succeed in nominating its
candidate. it could put the fear of
God in the heart of the winner to
such an extent that candidates would
hesitate before again making rash
promises in order to get their votes
in the primary election and then tell
ing them to go to hell after nominal
ed and elected. And then again,
once organized they would be able
to say to the successful primary can
didate, even though they did not sup
port him, you publicly promise to do
so and so, or your Democratic OPP
ponent will fall heir to this vote,
and in a close contest as the coming
general election promises to be, this
Ia 900 colored vote might again be-
come the balance of power and make
it possible for a Democrat to become
governor of the state. The writer
hereof is lifelong Republican and
has always worked for the success of
the Republican party, but will hest
tate before advising the colored vot-
ers to cast their vote for Roland II.
Hartley.