The Corporate Shadow Over the Statehouse
A political correspondent reveals how powerful railroad interests are manipulating the deadlocked senatorial contest in Olympia to stall anti-corporate legislation.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Olympia, Feb. 10.—The correspondent of the Spokane Spokesman wired the following to his paper tonight: 'I am tired of playing cards for the Northern Pacific and am going to quit. George Turner stands no more chance than I do of being United States senator... If the people of Spokane knew what I know about the way things are manipulated here they would burn me at the stake if I didn't get in and help end this deadlock.' The corporations are playing a double game at Olympia. They know just how the cards are distributed, and just as one side is about to win the stakes, they either upset the table or demand a new deal. The railroads care little about the United States senatorship, for a senator cannot harm them one-tenth as much as this body of men now gathered here, fresh from the people and burning with a desire to make records for themselves by securing legislation against corporations. By getting their friends on the inside and securing a grip on the senate, the corporations are in a position both to prolong the senatorial contest and to put a damper on hostile legislation.
“The railroads must fear from the legislature is legislation... The railroads are playing a double game at Olympia. Their representatives are seated on both sides of the table.”
The Gilded Age struggle between corporate influence and public interest remains a central theme in Washington politics. Much like today's concerns over corporate lobbying and campaign finance, this 1893 report captures a moment when the 'growth machine' clashed with populist demands for transparency.
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