The 'Holy Roller' Political Machine in Walla Walla
Accusations of election tampering and the cynical naturalization of nine Russian immigrants for machine gain rock the Walla Walla political scene.
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.
Now that John Adam Schmidt has joined the 'Holy Roller' republican club, it will be in order to enroll the names of the nine Russians whom he had naturalized at the expense and for the benefit of the machine in the city campaign last June. Those gentlemen are said to be loyal republicans, although they cannot tell the constitution of the United States from a circus bill, and they can produce strong affidavits from prominent republicans that they had been in the country long enough to entitle them to citizenship when they went through the routine of naturalization just in the nick of time on the night of the closing of the registration books for the last city election. Their credentials are at the county clerk's office and they should be sufficient to entitle them to membership in the club. As it is the intention to make the club the biggest thing of the kind that ever happened in Walla Walla county, these men should be admitted without question, since their leader has already been received into full fellowship.
“Those gentlemen are said to be loyal republicans, although they cannot tell the constitution of the United States from a circus bill.”
This story exposes the mechanics of historical machine politics, where local leaders manufactured 'loyalty' through the rapid-fire naturalization of immigrants to tip elections. It mirrors contemporary concerns about electoral integrity and the manipulation of voter rolls.
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