The Governor's Gambit: McBride Vows to Keep Fighting Railroads After Legislative Defeat
Governor McBride arrives in Walla Walla from his tour with President Roosevelt, declaring that the defeat of the railroad commission bill is not the end of the battle for corporate regulation.
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GOV. McBRIE HERE Is On Way Home From Tour of State With President
ACCOMPANIED BY GRANT NEAL Governor Says Fight for a Railway Commission Has Only Begun in This State.
Governor McBride and Grant Neal, chairman of the state board of audit and control arrived in Walla Walla early this morning over the O.R.N. and remain during the day as guests of Superintendent Dryden of the state penitentiary. Chairman Neal is on his regular monthly inspection trip and the governor accompanied him from Spokane to Walla Walla en route home to Olympia from a tour of the state with President Roosevelt. They will leave for Olympia this evening on the 10:05 p.m. O.R.N. train.
Undaunted by the defeat of the railroad commission bill at the hands of the last legislature, Governor McBride says the friends of the commission may rest assured that the fight will go on without flagging.
"This is not the time to announce plans and talk," he said, "but this is the cause I have most at heart and nothing will be spared to make it successful."
"I am satisfied that nine-tenths of the people of the state stand with me in my attitude toward corporations. There scarcely a county where a majority do not favor the commission."
The New Gambling Law.
"What effect do you anticipate from the new gambling law going into effect early next month?"
"Well, the law is there on the statute book, and it is plain. I have nothing to do directly with the enforcement in the various cities and counties. That rests with the legal departments. Of course any person can lodge complaint and get a warrant in case a criminal statute is violated, and this is no exception to the rule, so far as I know. The effect in each place will depend on the attitude of the officials and the people there."
In 1903, Governor McBride’s struggle against powerful railroad monopolies mirrored the broader Progressive Era fight for consumer protection and fair regulation. Today, Walla Walla residents continue to grapple with the influence of large agricultural corporations and logistics companies on local infrastructure and housing costs, echoing the tension between civic power and corporate interests that defined this era.
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