Democratic Leader Weighs in on the Populist Surge
Legislator H.J. Snively reports on the Democratic convention and the growing threat of the People's Party in Eastern Washington.
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Hon. H. J. Snively, the well known democratic legislator, of North Yakima, passed through the city yesterday afternoon from Seattle, returning from Chicago, where he attended the national democratic convention. In a talk on political matters, Mr. Snively said: 'The People's Party this year is going to cut a much bigger figure all over the country than anyone thought it would a month ago. In this state we will have a lively fight. In eastern Washington, whole precincts have left the ranks of the old parties and have announced that they would support the People's Party. It is nearly impossible to estimate the strength of the party, but their vote will certainly be between 15,000 and 20,000.'
“The People's Party this year is going to cut a much bigger figure all over the country than anyone thought it would a month ago.”
In 1892, third-party populism was shaking the foundations of the two-party system in the Yakima Valley. Today, the regional volatility of political alignment continues to be a defining feature of Washington's civic landscape.
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