The Corporate Ballot: A Senate Seat for Sale
Democratic candidate Col. C.W. Griggs claims he can deliver the votes of 6,000 Great Northern Railway laborers to win a Senate seat, sparking a fierce clash over political integrity and union coercion.
Col. C.W. Griggs, Democratic candidate for senator, confesses that a corporation proposes to deliver its employees at the polls in November to ensure his victory. Workingmen are to be coerced into voting for their masters. Griggs stated he has 6,000 laborers in Washington and that they have been in the state a year and can vote. He claims James J. Hill, president of the Great Northern, is helping him. Sam Herren, chair of the People's Party, denies that corporate masters can dictate the votes of the men, asserting that the Australian ballot will protect the workers' autonomy. Meanwhile, accusations of a 'sell-out' and political maneuvering have roiled the People's Party in Lewis County, with claims that Griggs is attempting to buy his way into office.
“We have 6,000 laborers in Washington and we are going to win. They will be at the polls all right on election day.”
This 1892 political scandal echoes contemporary concerns about corporate influence and 'dark money' in elections. The battle between Griggs' blatant transactional approach to votes and the populist pushback reflects the historic tension between monopolistic power and democratic labor representation in Washington state.
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