Who Should Keep Olympia's Money?

A dozen or more people were interviewed this morning on the fight for city treasurer. None of them wanted their names published, but here is the gist of what they said:

'Louis F. Henderson is the regular nominee for city treasurer of the Citizens' convention held last Thursday night and ought to be elected,' said a well known merchant. 'He is a clean cut business man, of honesty and integrity, a big property owner, and will make a good officer,' he continued.

'I shall not support either Joseph Chilberg or A. D. Glover, because they were candidates before the convention against Henderson and failed to get the nomination,' said another. 'I am a friend of Mr. Glover, and would like to see him in the office, but Henderson won the nomination fairly and is entitled to the suffrages of those who like fair play.'

'I am against Chilberg for the office of city treasurer,' said an old citizen, 'because he is hardly ever in his office when he is wanted; besides that, I do not think he did the square thing when he failed, after the fire here, some years ago. His creditors offered to settle for fifty cents on a dollar. He offered thirty cents on a dollar and finally paid nothing. His work for the capital location was paid for by other people's money, and he deserves no more credit on that score than anybody else.'

'I am going to vote for Glover because I don't like either Chilberg or Henderson,' remarked a property holder. 'Glover is an old timer, and us old timers ought to hang together. I am also going to vote for Murphy and Grainger.'

'Don't put my name in the paper,' said a Main street business man, 'but I tell you we ought to stand by Henderson, the regular nominee of the convention for city treasurer.'

'I am for Chilberg,' said a gentleman interested in one of the banks this morning. 'Why?' I was asked. 'Because he has built a big brick building on Main street and Henderson built a little one.'

'I am for Henderson,' said another, 'because he is going to build a big brick block in the spring on his Main street property that will overtop the Chilberg block.'

'I am going to vote for Glover, as I buy pretty good coal from him,' said a housekeeper, 'and I know he keeps his accounts pretty good for he always sends me a bill on the first of the month.'

'I don't care a darn which of these is elected,' said an old soldier. 'I wanted Hartman, but he wasn't nominated. I am going to vote for Henderson, however.'

'If the people of Olympia want their funds kept in a straight, business-like manner by a first-class accountant of approved integrity, let them elect Louis F. Henderson,' said a workingman this morning. 'I have known Mr. Henderson for years. He will pay strict attention to his duties and deal out equal and exact justice to all in handling the people's funds.'

'I think the whole thing is badly mixed,' said a well known collector who was around today, the wind and rain failing to keep him indoors. 'I haven't made up my mind who to vote for yet.'

'Some people say that Chilberg is a temperance crank. This is not true,' said a grocer man. 'He is a temperance man himself and has a right to be, but he is no crank on the subject, and we have never seen him attempting to force his ideas upon the community in this respect. It would not hurt the city if we had a few more temperance men.'

'Chilberg,' says a friend of that gentleman, 'made a mistake in losing his temper when he learned that he was charged with having put up ten dollars with a saloon keeper to gin up the boys with. It was only intended as a joke at first, but was peddled about so extensively that some easily influenced people began to believe there was something in it. Chilberg's vigorous denial of the charge angered the saloon men, and they are fighting him hard.'

Phil Hiltz, retired capitalist of the Second ward, says he wants a new treasurer so that the books can be examined.

Tom Heacock says the 'forriners' seem to have a good deal to say in the election for treasurer. Tom is strictly in the coal business and out of politics.

'The greatest political rounder of the Second ward, Mr. Hiltz,' says a well known citizen, 'thinks Mr. Chilberg should be defeated for treasurer. He thinks he is showing altogether too much enterprise in building such a fine brick building, intimating, of course, that the city's funds from the empty treasury have been put into the building. He knows better, and so does anyone else who will take the trouble to look over the books for ten minutes. Out upon such politics! The great rounder talks too much. He may get himself into trouble.'

'Chilberg is the man that locked up his office for weeks, when business was good, and went out to fight for Olympia for state capital. I shall vote for him and show my appreciation of a man who has devoted years of his time laboring for the advancement of the city,' said an old timer.

'I am going to vote for Mr. Henderson because he is by far the ablest and most competent of the three candidates,' said a well known dry goods dealer this morning.

'I think I will vote for Henderson,' said a well known republican. 'He got the regular nomination, and as all three of the candidates are democrats, I shall go for the regular nominee. Henderson suits me for treasurer.'

'A vote for Chilberg means an endorsement of a competent, faithful officer who has served the city when the labor was arduous and the remuneration small,' said a lady. 'If I had a vote I would vote for him.'

'The election of Chilberg will mean that the people intend to recognize services rendered for the advancement of the best interests of the city,' remarked a school teacher this morning.