The Newspaper Letter That Nearly Started a Fight in the Washington Senate

OLYMPIA, Jan. 26.—Special.—It would be threshing straw to attempt today to show that the past twenty-four hours had produced any new features in the senatorial situation. The roll call of the legislature showed that the only absentees were Frink and Loggie of King, Eddy of Snohomish and Cloes of Pierce. Frink was paired with Megler and Cloes with Wittinger. The vote stood: Ankeny 3, McMicken 8, Wilson 17, Rogers 3, Allen 17, Turner 10, Warner 1, Manning 1. The vote for Warner was that of Robert Gerry, Dem., of Pasco. No attempt was made to have a second ballot, and adjournment till Monday was agreed upon. A large number of members left on the City of Aberdeen and by train.

The sensation of the day occurred in the Senate when Senator Sergeant of Pierce County, in right royal fashion, scored some of the maligners of those who did not agree with them. On a question of privilege he asked that the secretary read a marked paragraph from the morning Ledger. The paragraph was a letter to the editor signed by E. W. Taylor, Sergeant’s colleague from Pierce County and a Wilson man, generally known as ‘the cowboy statesman.’ It accused Ankeny’s supporters of dishonesty, asked whether party platform declarations counted for nothing, and said Ankeny’s business interests must place him in strict accord with Sherman, Dolph and other goldites.

‘Now, Mr. President,’ said Senator Sergeant, ‘I want to ask what this writer means by proselytes. I want him to answer only that one question. Then I’ll ask another.’ All eyes turned to Taylor. Senator McManus, Dem., objected to the time of the Senate being occupied with the matter, but Taylor was permitted to proceed.

‘I mean, sir, that of men who came down from the city of Tacoma to coerce and compel me to turn my vote over to Levi Ankeny.’

Taylor tried to proceed but was interrupted by Sergeant, who said he wanted to hear no more on that score and had yielded the floor only for a direct answer. Taylor explained that the word ‘proselyte’ was not what he meant; it should have read ‘parasite.’ He said the consideration might be the obligation incurred by reason that in times past some of them borrowed money from Mr. Ankeny. One of them, in particular, had said he found Mr. Ankeny a very liberal man, and not a usurer, as he had been painted. ‘When the people came here from Pierce County to attempt to force me to violate my pledge, they misunderstood the man. I say it is contemptible of everybody and everybody. They are here for a consideration. Yes, lobbyists and parasites.’

He added that in all his campaign utterances he had pledged the people he would do nothing not in full accord with the reform platform adopted in the county, and he would support no man for United States senator who was not in favor of the money principles stated in that platform. If the Pierce County delegation had voted as they agreed to in the Pierce County caucus, they could have nominated Wilson. But when they went into a Republican city convention, they discovered that all the hosts were for Ankeny and nobody else.

‘It is false,’ declared Taylor, ‘when they say there were more than five of the county delegation who were for Ankeny. As for myself, my knowledge is how I stood. I believe it is the right of every American citizen to vote for whom he pleases. I am discharging my duty with a deep regard for the wishes of my constituents. There are no strings on me, and I am free to vote for any man. This statement refers to public print, and none who read it will take it otherwise than as applied to the extremists, and no one is assailed in it. If it is my colleague’s intention to impugn my motives or character, if he wishes to intimate that my manner of voting is being governed by a consideration, I say he is contemptible.’

Here came vigorous raps from the president’s gavel, but Taylor’s voice was heard above the din. He said he was used to political bouts and would let the language go. ‘I did not intend that my article should apply to anybody except members of the lobby, and did not intend it to be construed to mean Senator Sergeant or any member of this body.’

Quiet was restored, and Senator Sergeant again took the floor. Addressing President Luce, he said: ‘If my colleague says on his honor that he does not refer to me in the paragraph, I will cheerfully withdraw my remarks.’ ‘The senator has already so stated,’ replied President Luce, and routine business was proceeded with.

The unworthy and scurrilous insinuations have only helped Ankeny. Not a man dare say that he has ever been approached with an inducement to vote for Mr. Ankeny except on the score of his merit. He never asks a man to vote for him, nor walks around the lobby buttonholing, pleading, coaxing for votes as some of the ‘holier-than-thou’ candidates do from morning till eight. Two-thirds of the members and lobby left town this afternoon. The hotel is absolutely deserted, and legislative and senatorial matters apparently are forgotten. The Ankeny and Wilson quarters were closed at 1 o’clock.