The Republican Party’s Internal War
A bitter factional struggle between two rival Republican clubs in Walla Walla threatens to shatter the party ahead of the county convention.
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.
It is almost certain that the efforts to effect a compromise between the 'Holy Rollers' and the 'Boxers' will result in a complete failure, and may be followed by the organization of a second republican club in Walla Walla. Realizing that they had been beaten in the organization of the first club, a number of the 'Boxer' leaders met Friday evening and decided to ask the 'Holy Rollers' for recognition. A committee was appointed to wait upon the officers of the Roosevelt club to effect a compromise, suggesting that the initial organization be considered preliminary and that a general call be issued for a meeting of all county Republicans. The Roosevelt club officers turned the proposition down cold, stating, 'We are willing to have the Boxers come into the club, but we are not going to be caught napping and let them secure control.' The Boxers now threaten to organize their own club, renewing an old, bitter fight within the party. Many believe the Boxers hold the upper hand for the next county convention, and if they succeed, they intend to push for the renomination of Governor McBride, a move the Holy Rollers are determined to resist.
“We are willing, and, in fact, are anxious to have the 'Boxers' come into the club, but we are not going to be caught napping and let them secure control.”
Internal party rifts and 'establishment vs. grassroots' insurgencies are timeless, though the colorful monikers 'Holy Rollers' and 'Boxers' used by 1904 Walla Walla political factions highlight just how vitriolic local party politics could become in the early 20th century.
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