The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-03-14
FUTURE or OREGON REPUBLL-
CANISM.

ne OIGSOu1dn Is attempting 70 paw
the way for populistic victory year
from next June. It says the republican
party cannot face the people with the
smell of the last legislature clinging to
its garments. It quotes freely articles
from democratic and populist papers,
concerning the extravaganza of the recent
legislature, and in turn its editorials are
copied by every populist paper in the
state. 1t has almost wholly ignored the
comments of state republican papers on
the doings of the Legislators, and in fact
there seems to be common understand
ing between the populists and Mr.. Scott's
paper. The Oregonian is busily en-
gagged in loading the populist guns for
the next campaign. Perhaps they expect
to hoist Mr.. Scott as their senatorial can
didate to defeat Mr. Mitchell two years
hence.
Whether the republican party will be
in shape to ask for the support of the
people at the next election will depend
upon the class of men who will have
control of its affairs. If that faction of
the party, that was responsible for the ex-
travagance of commission and omission of
the legislature, controls the nominations
and policy of the republican party it will
surely meet with decisive defeat That
faction was the ring that had control of
the upper house, whose head was Joseph
Simon, whose organ was the Oregouian,
and whose candidate was ]. N. Dolph.
Many nleritorious bills were introduced in
and passed by the house, fulfilling the
pledge of the republican party and its
candidates, only to be sn1othered in the
committee rooms of the senate, where
Sfu1on's power was supreme. The prin-
cipa1 bill, looking towards economy, that
was defeated by the house, was the one
relating to the salary of the district at
torney of Mu1tnonah county, and the
campaign waeed in its behalf was so bit
ter and disgraceful that most of the re-
strained TO vote against it. The majority
of the republican members of the house
were i'll favor of economy and of pledged
reforms, and their legislation was along
this line. If this element is in the ascend
ency during the next campaign, the re-
publican party of clear conscience and
conscientiousness of power to fulfill its
campaign pledges, can ask the support OF
the people in expectation of receiving it.
But if Joe Simon and the class of men
under his CONTROL and with whom the
Oregonian is identified, make the nomi-
nations of the party and dictate its policy,
the republicans of Oregon will enter the
campaign handicapped beyond all posi-
bility of victory.
The Simon machine will make a des-
perate effort to regain its hold upon the
politics of the state. Should it fail to
receive recognition from the republican
ranks, it may, by treachery, seek the de-
feat of the republican ticket by an alliance
with some other party. This has always
been the tactics of the Simon machine as
shown in the defeat of Waldo, Cornelius,
Thompson and others. 1t is this treach-
cry, this rule or ruin policy, that has SO
disgusted the republican citizens of Ore
gon with the Simon combination. 1t is
firmly believed that the Influence of the
machine has been so lessened by recent
events that it will have power neither to
control the nominations nor defeat the
candidates. There are many bright, ac-
tive and Intelligent members of the party
throughout the state, who are strongly
opposed to the machine element, and
who will be on guard to checkmate any
move that the machine may make to re-
gain its wonted power.
It looks now as if Simon's influence
had been aunihi1iated. If this be true,
the republican party has thrown off its
shackles and can go into the next CAM
paign as the party of the people, certain
to do their will and sure of their hearty
support.