Olympia's Republican Bargain: Bring the State Convention Home—and Send a Delegate to Minneapolis

There is no question about the ability of Olympia to take care of the state convention should it come here, and there never has been any. There are not a half dozen men in the city who will make an assertion to the contrary. When THE TRIBUNE first urged that the state convention be held here it satisfied itself that there was room enough to house and feed the people; and for convention purposes it pointed to the spacious Olympia theater. What is now wanted, as stated yesterday by THE TRIBUNE, is some decided action, some practical results. Money is to be raised. The republican state convention which last met in Tacoma to nominate a congressman cost the people of Tacoma about $1500. Nearly that sum will be needed here. Olympia can raise it if she will go about it at once. It ought to be pledged before the Seattle convention assembles.

The idea, however, that the Thurston county delegation must go to the convention and say “we don’t want any representative to go to Minneapolis; give us the convention and we will be satisfied,” is ridiculous. That’s a good deal like Pierce county at Walla Walla three years ago. The able delegation from the city of destiny said: “Pierce county does not want anything now, but wants a United States senator after a while.” It got nothing. The Thurston delegation to the Seattle convention, it must be remembered, will not all hail from Olympia. It is a Thurston county delegation, and while a representative republican from this county sent to Minneapolis by that convention would be satisfying to the whole county, the county delegates are certainly not going to trade off a chance to send such a representative for the purpose of getting a state convention held in Olympia. With proper effort both can be secured. The argument all along has been that state conventions are usually held in state capitals. That being the case, why make a bargain in the Seattle convention for what clearly belongs to us by right? Thurston county should see to it that one of its representative republicans is sent to Minneapolis as one of the eight representatives from this state, and it should also make a fight for the state convention to be held where they are generally held in other states—at the capital.

The desire of a few in this city to prevent Thurston county from having a representative among the delegates at Minneapolis is in harmony with that same old spirit that has kept the party in this county from having any strength in state politics. However, it is said not to be so much the fear that it will lessen our chances to have the state convention here, as it is a longing to be a delegate with fear of defeat lingering near. This is a subject for honorable differences of opinion and ought to be determined upon principles of right and party county pride. This “one thing at a time” idea is as narrow and senseless as it is selfish and ruinous to any community deserving consideration.

The names of C. F. Leavenworth, T. H. Cavanaugh, Judge Robinson, T. M. Reed, Sr., Col. Eddy and John F. Gowey, of Olympia, and Francis Batch, of Bucoda, have been favorably mentioned in connection with the position of delegate to the republican national convention, from Thurston county. Not that they are or will become candidates, but simply that they have been mentioned as proper delegate timber. They are all representative republicans, and would do credit to themselves and the state.