The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1901-07-31

the Republicans haven't got spell
binder who can make the agricultural
spiel hall as effectively as long, lean,
lank Theodore Thurston Geer With
an administration suspciously clean aud
and with him in the canvass on the
defensive for his party it would be
almost a sure thing for any man who
got on the ticket unless il we're the
head II it happens 10 be Geer. SO far az
he is concerned, the Mitchell crowd
have already decided TO support Geo.
Chamberlain II they can't down Geer
for the nomination and defeat him at
the polls II it is their power They say
Chamberlain can get 5000 Republican
votes in Multonomah county and can
almost carry Marion county against
Geer, and Of course, that would beat the
most popular candidate the Republicans
have everhad for the office, except
Lord who ran on a reform platform.
The Mitchell managers cay they would
support Lord or any other candidate but
Geer never. He thwarthed their deal to
give the city OF Portland reform citizens
charter that would have given the
metropolis an up.to-date sailor.board-
ing house administration and would
have wiped the tenderloin and gamb-
ling house control of municipal politics
off the slate forever in a horn. The
Portland anti.Geer people are resort
ing to desperate means to make their
campaign effective. They charge that he,
the Governor, agreed TO let their charter
stand and then turned around and vetoed
It.. They charge further and most Of
them profess % believe that Geer was
paid TO veto their salyation-army reform
charter. They claim TO know how much
he got and how il was raised ont Of the
police and fire department and who took
the money up TO Salem,and that ii was
az much as $40, 900 at least. Their lead
ere are circulating il all over the state
that fire department employees and pol
icemen paid as high as $50 piece in
4 the form OF an assessment 20 make up
the fund 10 hire Geer 10 veto the Dolly
Warden charter. They talk this straight
and with much positiveness and circum e
tantlal detail ard they will carry il into
the convention fight and force Geer TO
Withdraw or defeat him for denomination.
They peddle other stories Of a simi lar
character about the Governor and have
started In 10 make killing in the only
way they have left open TO them because
they cannot asssil the Governors repub
licansm nor his administration. SO
there is nothing left to draw on their sus.
picions, and as they are familiar with Ger.
tain phases Of politics more than others
they take what they can most readily
lay hands To. They will not thank THR
Journal for its laying bare the situation
''as she is" but 1t is such an interesting
plight We cannot iorbear the temptation
TO give IL to the ordinary citizen who
stays at home and minds his own busi-
ness and does not 90 10 conventions. He
has a right TO know the inside pulsations
Of tho heart OF state politics as we'll as a
select few managers on both sides. The
regular machine politician does not read
the papers aud does not expect to be
gnided by what they say. lie is in the
embryo semi-sayage state OF develop.
ment where he still relies more on teeth
and claws than on conscience and brains
and he cannot be blamed for employing
the weapons at his command. That the
spoils-mongers and breechclout sayages
OF the Republican party will appear in
battle array TO demolish the one man
who successfully resisted and thwarted
one of their boldest undertakings ia the
last legislature, Ia toregone conclusion.
The Commissioner OF Horticulture for
this district was aroused TO tul sense
of his official duty the other day aud
pu. in a more direct way OF earning his
salary by having his attention
called 10 the fact that peaches in the
Salem market were infested with theSan
Jose scale and he stopped their sale and
doubtless saved the lives Of many inno-
cent people by his prompt official action.
In the performance OF his sworn duty
last fall he found that wormy apples
were being shipped from Salem aud
Salem boarding houses were filling the
hides Of their patrons with apple sass
made from apples that had beeu bored
into by codlin moth, in defiance OF
state law, In the same way people
have been eating these Infested peaches
from Mission bottom aud did rot know
they were walking, as il were, on tho
very edge OF destruction. Many man
has gone home with ten cents worth Of
these delicious fruits having several
scales hid away in the iaEz on the south
side, and handed them out 20 his wife
and children igaOrant Of their death.
dealing qualities. In fact, no one, 30
iaE a. known has yel been hurt by a
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