Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1905-09-29

on the day Of election when they cast
their vote for United States Senator,
| and | take this occasion 70 thank the
people of Polk county for their
majority Of 26l, though I was not
in their midst during the canvass.
| But this has all become threadbare.
Let the party in Oregon forget its
| factional fights and henceforth stand
for something higher than the mere
struggle for spoils and satisfaction of
personal revenge. Under the primary
law, enacted by the people, the thumb
| screw OF the party boss will become
less efectual and the power of the
people more nearly supreme. There
should be more Of principle and less
OF self. Let US all move in this direc-
tion. What do you say?
T. t. GEER.
1t seems to US that the Ex-Governor
doth protest too much. Nowhere has
it even been intimated that he drew
more compensation than the law
allowed him. In his letter TO the
Oregonian, he says that the coDstitu-
tion Of Oregon had been superseded
by the state law for 20 years. The
OBSERVER asked how much compensa-
tion he received under that state law !;
in other words, what was the actual
compensation Of the Governor of Ore
gon before the passage of the fiat
salary bill? We all know that the
constitutional salary was $500, and
is yet but how much more than this
sum did the old state law enable the
Governor to draw from the state
treasury, when the constitution said
plainly that he should receive $500
year and no more? Certainly not an
improper question, especially when
asked by any taxpayer who had to
help foot the bill.
Mr.. Geer answers that he received
precisely the sum that was allowed
by the laws Of the state, regularly
allowed by warrant from the Secretary
Of State" Doubtless true; but, as the
Oregonian recently remarked, there
was always "a great deal of doubt
about just how much the State Execu-
tive actually did get when the salary
was only $l5OO." Certain unconstitu-
tional state laws allowed him more
than $500, but many taxpayers have
often wondered just how much that
extra amount was. Mr.. Geer refers
us to the Secretary of States warrants :;
but all taxpayers don't live in Salem,
and comparatively few people in Ore
gon have convenient access to the
states records, Mr.. Geer knows what
his salary was, and it is certainly no
offense to ask him how much of the
peoples money was paid him for his
services. Certainly no offense was
intended when the question was asked,
and as he had nothing to do with the
passage of the unconstitutional laws
in question, he ought to chirp right
out and tell us what he got.
Commenting upon our statement
that the Furnish defeat in Polk county
was caused by the non-support of the
candidate by a large
number of the Geer followers, we are
asked il we believe that the light vote
In Baker county was caused by the
Johns influence getting in it's work?"
No, Governor; we believe it was
caused largely by certain Geer men
getting in their work. just the same
rs they did here in Polk county, and |
IN Multnomah county, and in many
other counties in Oregon. Let's be
rank about it; Furnish was not a
strong candidate, and ran behind his
ticket in nearly every county in the
state He was a poor speaker, and |
lad few Of the qualities of a good |
mixer" added to these drawbacks
vas the fact that certain disgruntled
republicans in every community we're
lighting him; and yet, in the face of
hese handicaps, he was defeated by
chamberlain by something less than
100 votes in the entire state If the
ieer men had only stood pat, Furnish
would have won in a walk. There's
10 use beating around the bush about
t: Furnish was licked, and it was
he Geer crowd that licked him.
Mr., Geer asks in effect why Frank
Dunbar and Charlie Moore did not
make speeches for Furnish during
he campaign. Everybody knows
hat these men are not public speakers,
nd that Mr.. Geer is. Besides, Dun
ar and Moore were candidates for
lerical offices, and no speeches were
xpected of them.
Geer tosses himself a boquet by
banking the people of Polk county
or the votes he received for Senator.
ie should be more specific and thank
he Democrats for big lot of these
otes, as twas standing joke among
hem on election day that they were
oting for Geer to put the Republicans
hole, knowing full we'll that the
members Of the Legisla-
are would not stand for him for
enator, and striving TO create as
luch disoord in the ranks Of the ene-
~ as possible. They didn't have ,
host of show to elect their candidate
'ood. and they knew it; so they voted {
II Geer because they knew that he '
as not satisfactory to a large element I
the Republican party. t
Well, this will be about all. The
overnor wants harmony. So does