The Political Price of Railroad Allegiance
A skeptical look at John W. Pickrell’s gubernatorial candidacy amidst accusations that he is a 'railroad man' in disguise.
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.
Sunday’s Union identifies John W. Pickrell of Whitman county as a candidate for governor. The Statesman remains critical of Pickrell’s record, particularly his past interactions with the state’s railroad interests. Despite his claims of supporting a railway commission—a major political issue regarding the regulation of monopoly rates—Pickrell is accused of having pressured legislators to abandon their pledges to the electorate in favor of railroad-aligned candidates for the United States Senate. The Statesman suggests that should he run, his political prospects will sour, characterizing him as a candidate who would either veto regulatory legislation or appoint a commission that serves corporate interests rather than the public.
“But Pickrell on such a platform with such a record will find that his name is Pickle when the people have turned the vinegar of their displeasure upon him.”
The tension between corporate influence in Olympia and the populist demand for public regulation of utilities is a foundational argument in Washington politics that echoes in modern debates over corporate lobbying.
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