The Railroads Tried to Buy a Senate Seat in Olympia
With three transcontinental lines reportedly backing John L. Wilson for the U.S. Senate, the Post-Intelligencer warns that Washington's legislature is not for sale.
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.
We print in another column a rather startling statement from the Spokesman-Review, the leading paper of Spokane, to the effect that the railroads propose to take a hand in electing John L. Wilson to the United States senate. It is now a matter of common report that not only are the Northern Pacific and the Great Northern railroads actively interesting themselves in his candidacy, but that the Southern Pacific has also determined to take a hand in his behalf.
We do not know nor do we care what claims the railroads have for thus actively espousing the cause of John L. Wilson. It may be, and very likely is, an effort to repay him for his vote on the pooling bill and for other favors received at his hands while he was nominally representing the people of the state of Washington in congress. We do know, however, that the railroads had better keep their hands off the senatorial contest in this state.
The Southern Pacific railroad may own the state of California and the Northern Pacific may be able to elect its paid attorney a senator in the state of Oregon, but we candidly believe that the representatives of the people are entirely able to elect a senator in the state of Washington without corporate dictation. The railroads think that they have some rights that the people should respect. The people, on the other hand, know that they have some rights that the railroads will be compelled to respect.
John L. Wilson may be able to bulldoze members of the legislature to pledge themselves to his candidacy before election, but he will not be able, even with the powerful assistance of his railroad allies, to bulldoze a majority of the Republicans in the legislature to vote for him as United States senator, in order that he may still further betray the interests entrusted to his care. If the contest gets down to an issue between the railroads and the people there will be no doubt as to the result.
“The Southern Pacific railroad may own the state of California ... but we candidly believe that the representatives of the people are entirely able to elect a senator in the state of Washington without corporate dictation.”
Before the 17th Amendment (1913), U.S. senators were chosen by state legislatures — which made them easy prey for the railroads and timber and mining corporations that dominated the Northwest. This editorial is a small volley in the long fight against corporate capture of the ballot; the same argument about money buying influence echoes in every modern fight over dark money and lobbying.
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