The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-24
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 The Portland oresonian is . loyal Republican paper but there are times and occasions when the action of It's party gets onto its nerves. and the Colorado case was one of them. Com menting on the way the gubernatorial tangls was settled The oregonian says:
 This is a discreditabie arrangement. It Is based on no principle. Peapody faction @ % of g them: and rather than he should have the office they would nave permitted Adams to remain. The ques- tion of right was lost sight or. It was mere inrriSusn .n,9 Of rsssi0ss rassi0ns majority Denver and other places, committed in his interest, were so great that there iy questioned whether he was lawfully elected. Standing on this ground. the Republicans had strong position. But they have lost 1t through the factional and Peabody have been sacrificed Bet ter have allowed Adams to serve out the term, and at this session of the Legislature to have enacted laws as to registration and election that would have prevented frauds hereafter.
 As we have at all times freely admit ted there appears no room to doubt that Adams received fraudulent votes. The whole election business appears to have been conducted. at least in sev- eral places. without regard to fairness, honesty or decency. and some of the disclosures are enough to make any honest man ashamed that Colorado is part of the American Union. That Dem- ocrats were mixed up in the dirty bus mess is not to be denied, and to that extent they are entitled to their share of condemnation. In fact, all parties seem to have taken lessons from Penn | sylvania.
 But these admitted facts cannot jus tify what was done by the Legislature. If Adams was not elected. after throw ing out all fraudulent votes. there is still less reason for claiming the elec- tion of Peabody. if his vote had been properly sifted. We can imagine that the Legislature, if it had the power under the State Constitution. might have declared that neither candidate had been elected and then ordered a new election. but we cannot imagine a legislative body of honest men unseat- ing Adams and seating Peabody on con- dition that he resign in favor of Lieu tenant Governor Mcdonald, who has not been a candidate for Governor. In addition to-being an altogether outrageous exercise of partisan politics the performance was disreputable bargain. There were ten honest Re- publicans who refused to vote to un- seat Adams, and even those who did so vote would not do 1t until Peabody had given a written pledge that he would resign at once This was plain proof
 that the Republican members did not look on Peabody as entitled to the office. They were ashamed of him, and
 evidently ashamed of his claims. and tried to satisfy their consciences by most shamelesss bargain. We agree with The Omaha World Herald in its
 opinion that "in rejecting the advice
 that he retain his office by force. Gov ernor Adams acquitted himself well. In yielding to authority, even though 1t be exercised as the bandit exercises au- | thority, Governor Adams occupies a far more creditable position that that oc-
 cupied by the Republican leaders who
 are responsible for his dethronement.'