The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-09-08

would have no business participating in that primary
The only change made by the new law is to require
the voter to make his public announcement Of his
party affhation some time in advance, so that his
fellow.men may have chance to know in what
primary election he intends to vote No man who
went to primary election under the old law could
conceal his party atilaton, and the only difference
under the new system is that, if he undertakes de-
cepton, his trickery will be known in advance
The man, then who undergoes change of political
faith is trickster lie is practicing " deception.
According To this doctrine the democrat must never
change his politics. the republican must always re-
main republican, No more preposterous idea was
ever advanced in the annals of our republic and The
argument stamps its author numskull. Let Ills sup
pose Governor Chamberlain is renominated. Some
of the 1000 or more republicans who elected him will
want to vote again for him. Shall they be required
tic publicly renounee allegiance to the republican
party because they favor George Chamberlain for
governor! Has not the voter the constitutional right
to vote for the candidate of his choice at the primary
election! The people of Clatsop county want {. W.
Fulton returned to the United States senate. When
the voters of this county called upon to choose
members of the legislature that will elect Mr. Full
tons successor must democrats renounce allegiance
to their party because they favor the selection of
publican candidates best fitted to bring about the
reelection of Senator Fulton9 People of anarchstic
tendencies perhaps will answer in the affirmative
but all men of ordinary reason and intelligence will
reply, emphatically, NO"
''Party organization" demands this, howls the
Oregonian putting party above constitution If the
Oregonian feels that man shall not forsake one
party and go to another, why did it so ndustrousy
support W. j. Furnish, the last republican candidate
for governor9 Mr. Furnish used to be good dem
ocrat, yet the Oregonian made no protest when he
broke into the republican party. What is good
logic now ought to have been equally as good then.
Only the veriest dreamer would for moment seek
tc contend for the terms of the direct primary bill
1t is disgrace to the state utterly impracticabe
and without the lease semblance of reason.
The provision requiring voters to state their polit
ca faith before the primaries merely has the effect
of putting the bulk of the voters under the thumbs
of the men for whom they work, and of increasing
1ue VIII De Ill pOSitioH
require his men to vote at primary elections If he
happens to be democrat his employees must register
as democrats, and those of them who may be repub-
licans will thereby lose their right to express their
choice at the republican primaries. The registration
books stand as check upon the political conduct of
every workman and place him absolutely under the
control of his employer
The Astoran begS to assure the Oregonian that it
understands thoroughly every section of the direct
primary bill, and that it is and always has been
Of the fact that the provisions of the measure
are confined to parties casting % per cent of the
vote for congressional candidates In this respect
ALSO the law is un-American, as it excludes the
smaller parties the members of which guaranteed
by our constitution quite as much political freedom
as was originally guaranteed to those who seek to
deprive them of it.
In local article appearing in The Astorian the
predcament Of Clatsop county democrats stated
Correction was later made in this col
umn. Hundreds of democrats in this county have
voted citizen ticket for years. Many Of those
voters are foreign-bOrn. As only about Oneenth of
the voters are capable of following the schemes of
political tricksters, many who have voted the citi-
zen ticket in the past will register unlnowngly, as
citizens They will find no citizen ticket to vote and
therefore will have no vote. They are in precisely
the same fix as the independents -Iegslated out of
their great American right to vote as they see fit,
and to vote secretly:
No condemnation is too severe for the men respon-
sible for the Oregon direct primary law.