The Canal Plank That Nearly Tore Washington’s Democrats Apart

OLYMPIA, Aug. 24.—The first day of the Democratic state convention began with a fierce struggle between King County and Pierce County over the Lake Washington canal question. King County won a partial victory by forcing rejection of the Pierce County plank, which distinctly condemned the canal project. King County’s success lay in carrying a plank giving a general indorsement of public improvements—a plank in every way weaker and less favorable to the canal than that offered by Pierce County in the Republican state convention, fought by the King County Republicans and voted down. In other words, the King County Democrats accepted terms on the canal less favorable to King County and her interests than the Pierce County Republicans were willing to concede two weeks ago.

The day was a busy one among the delegates. In the morning King County broke the triple alliance between Pierce County and the supporters of the two gubernatorial aspirants, Dr. N. G. Blalock of Walla Walla and B. F. Shaw of Clarke. This alliance, formed primarily for the purpose of beating a canal plank, would also have killed James Hamilton Lewis as a candidate for governor. But several of the Lewis haters of King County joined in the effort to strike a blow at the canal in order to down Lewis. Three or four times during the day the alliance was ruptured and again patched up.

When the convention met early in the afternoon, the King County men did not dare test their strength by opposing the temporary organization proposed by the state committee. Louis K. Church of Snohomish also went in by common agreement for permanent chairman. In the committee on resolutions there was a hot battle over the canal plank. King County offered an indorsement of the improvement, but this suggestion was rejected. Pierce offered a denunciation, but that was voted down, 20 to 9. The plank agreed upon was a general approval of necessary public improvements. The friends of James Hamilton Lewis accepted this, for although it is admitted that the Democrats cannot carry King County on that straddling declaration, yet Lewis is so anxious to be nominated for governor that he yielded and was drawn into the vain compromise.

At the evening session of the convention, lasting until after 1 o’clock, Pierce County tried to carry her anti-canal plank through. There was an angry contest, breaking at times into a riot and stopping short only at actual blows. Disgraceful threats of violence were exchanged between the Pierce and King delegates, and altogether the proceedings were unruly and shameful. Pierce County at first carried the anti-canal plank by a vote of 107 to 82, and then, when King County had received this lasting insult, Skagit changed five votes, and after over an hour of rioting the anti-canal plank was rejected. The union between B. F. Shaw, with seventy-four votes, N. G. Blalock, with 75, and Pierce County, with 31, was to have been carried out after the first ballot for governor by throwing the combined strength in the second ballot to whichever of the two men had the most votes.

The crushing of the alliance materially improves the chances of James Hamilton Lewis for the nomination. He could have had the nomination by supporting the anti-canal plank, and since he is so anxious for the honor that he is willing to stand on the shilly-shally plank, he may win that glory.