The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-06-09
OREGON POLITICS.

NsNS~N ASl%AAlNS.
To those not accustomed to the politi
cal intrigucs of the 0regonian. the read
ing of its apologies for the defeat OF
Mayor Williams would incline one to the
belief that a new humorous writer had
been engaged. The principle excuse ad.
Vanced is, that the republicans did not
turn out to vote, There was enough OF
them turned out to elect the entire re-.
publican city ticket with the exception of
mayor by maiorities from 1000 to 1000
The fight was on the mayor. There were
TWO important questions involved. One
was the question as to whether Portland
was to be wide.open or a closed town
On this question the 0regonian was in.
consistent. 1t had assisted the moral
element in closing up gambling. vet it
was well known fact that Mavor vii.
hams represented the open town element
and 1T supported Williams. When AIayor
Williams ran the first time he had the
support of the moral and church element
hnt this year that element was antago.
nistic to him. partly because of his atti.
tude toward them and partly of the roast
ing the Oregonian administered to Rev.
Toy and other revivalists.
Another cause for the defeat of vii.
Hams was the fact that large majority
OF the rank and file of the republican
party in Multnomah county will not tol.
crate political dictation by Harvey Scott.
an aspirant for United States senator.
and Francis Henery the carpet bagcer
politician imported from Alaska to kill
the republican party in Oregon and build
upon its ruins Scott oligarchy. They
prefer that all of the offices of the city.
county and state be in the hands of the
democrats than in the hands of the Scott
Heney Trust Company. There are honest
democrats.
The Oregonian intimates that now that
the democrats have control of the mayor.
sheriff, district attorney, chief of police
and the governor, that the democrats will
carry the state at the gubnatorial elec.
tion next June. There is only one way to
prevent this. and that is for the Oregon.
ian to support the democratic ticket. II |
complains bitterly that the thugs and DO. |
litical boosters in the north end were
prevented from voting by Sheriff Word
The sheriff could not and would not pre-.
vent any man from voting that was le.
gally entitled to vote. but he had a right
TO stop the foaters from voting. not.
withstanding they had been bought up
by the machine.
Every republican in Oegon regrets the
defeat of Mayor Williams, the grand old
man of Oregon They also regret that in
his later years he should have chosen for
his companions and allied himseIf-if he
did-to the carpet bagger regime of Port.
land. It is to be regretted that he for.
sock his early piety and refused to rec.
ognize the protestations of the church
element for publication of the morals
of the city. 1t is to be regretted that
whether at his solicitation or that of the
Oregonian he overestimated the strength
of the wide-open town contingent and un.
der estimated the strength of the closed
town contingent.
Another important factor in the defeat
of Mayor Williams was the refusal of the
republican common council to listen to
the appeals Of the moral element to pro.
hibit the establishment of fifty or sixty I
dead-falls and saloons at the gates Of the I
Lewis and Clark fair The council even T
refused to hold meeting to permit &
petition to be filed to submit the ones. q
tion Of granting licenses to a vote of the t
people. This enraged and antagonized \
the entire anti-saloon element and the c
moral contingent against the republican E
mayor and administration, and as nine t
1ut of ten of this element are republi. 0
ans, accounts to a great extent for the
lefeat of Mayor Williams C
There was the Morrison street bridge n
candal and the Tanner creek sewer 1
candal, all laid at the door of Mayor l.
Williams This was too great load for t
n old man to pack and when the addi.
ional burden of being a pack animal for il
he Seott-Heney carpet -bagging contin. ia
ent, it was no wonder that the grand il