The Seattle Star

STANDPAT
GANG
TRYING
TO PROMOTE
CONVENTIONS
FOR
THE
PROGRESSIVES

The standpatters have a trump card up their sleeves, which they intend to spring upon the progressives at the most opportune time, with the hope of dividing the strength of the latter and creating a clear field for themselves in the primaries of September 10.

As always, the hope of the standpatters lies in the convention scheme.

In this case, however, the standpatters will not hold a convention of their own. Instead, they will promote conventions, any number of them, for the progressives to participate in. There is nothing in the law to stop any man, or handful of men, from calling a convention.

Seizing upon the third-party idea, the standpatters plan to work up third-party conventions in Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane and one or two other places. The scheme is to have each convention claim to be the only and original third-party convention. In this way the progressives will be set against one another, and several third-party tickets for state and county offices will thus be named.

In the meantime, the standpatters will have it all their own way at the primary election-at least, that is the way it will work out if the progressives should fall into the trap.

In fact, one of these stand-pat promoted third-party conventions is already under way, the call having been issued by a man named Whitman, an unknown quantity among progressives. Other calls will undoubtedly follow soon.

Those who have borne the brunt in progressive battles in this state in the past are almost unanimously opposed to third-party conventions for the purpose of naming full state and county tickets. They give as their chief reason the very fact that such nominations would have to be made by the convention system. Conventions offer great opportunities for political schemers. Progressive or non-progressive can get into a convention with a bunch of delegates and carry off the nominations. In a primary election, however, where the people decide, the path of "skim-milk" progressives, as Senator Daniel Landon calls them, and standpatters are rather strenuous these days. That is why standpatters and "one-night-stand" progressives are anxious to have the third-party convention, or conventions. The more of them the merrier for everybody except real progressives.

Judge W. W. Black of Everett, who has announced his candidacy for governor, has been on the superior court bench of Snohomish county for the past eight years. He was the democratic candidate for congress two years ago. Judge Black has taken a prominent part in democratic affairs in this state. He was a delegate to the Baltimore convention, and although a Champ Clark supporter at first, is now a Woodrow Wilson enthusiast. He was a member of the platform committee at Baltimore.

Charles R. Detrick of Palo Alto, a representative of Gov. Hiram Johnson of California, was in Seattle today and conferred with Thomas F. Murphine, president of the Progressive league, and other prominent progressives opposed to a full state and county third-party ticket, and also with others in favor of a full ticket. He carried no message from Roosevelt, and did not attempt to voice what course ought to be pursued in this state. He left for Spokane, but will return here tomorrow.

Seattle voters will be called upon to nominate 57 varieties of officials in the primary election to be held September 10. They are as follows: Governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, attorney general, state treasurer, land commissioner, insurance commissioner, state school superintendent, three congressmen, three judges of the supreme court, nine judges of the superior court, four justices of the peace, 17 members of the house of representatives, one state senator, sheriff, prosecuting attorney, county auditor, county clerk, assessor, county engineer, two county commissioners, county treasurer, county wreckmaster and county superintendent of schools.

Ralph Pierce, city attorney, whose hat for a while threatened to drop into the ring for prosecuting attorney, took a firm clutch at that self-same lid, and it is out of danger now, Pierce positively says now that he is not a candidate.

Harry H. Collier, editor of the Progressive Democrat, published in Tacoma, filed for lieutenant governor on the democratic ticket yesterday. Collier has lived in Washington for 23 years. He has been engaged chiefly in newspaper work and is an authority on poultry. Collier has always been a democrat and was one of the original Woodrow Wilson supporters.