The new age., 1906-12-08
EDITORIAL
MEMBERS NOT BOUND.

that Jonathan Bourne, JE-, must De
elected Senator rs so perfect and sac
red. what would Legislators do If the
man who received a bare plurality
in AprB should be an Jail or Elnder in
dictment the next January when the
legislature has to eject him-fnr after
all it is she legislature that must
elect? Suppose the hand fraud cases
had not come to light, and Mr.. Heney
had not shown up in Oregon prior to
last April, and suppose shat then Mr..
Williamson or MIR. Hermann, having
been a candidate for the senate, should
have received plurality of votes, and
suppose between that time and now
the disclosures about him that have
been made, were maAe-does anybody
say that the legislature would be
bound by the elections last spring to
elect Hermann or Williamson? II is
true that Bourne has not been con-
victed of crime or indicted: but his
supporters say he must be voted for
blindly, without inspection or argu-
ment, regardless of anything discov-
cred about him or any revision OF
Judgment upon him, solely on account
of the vote last spring. But we say
No; If a member Of the legislature
who agreed to vote for the plurality
nominee at the polls finds that the
people made a mistake, that the man
selected is not such a man as he was
thought to be, or that such man
would not make fit senator, or is
assured that If the people had it to do
over again they would not do what
they did nine months before-then
that member is absolved from that
prckably not very wise or well con-
sidered promise, and the people would
thank and honor him for correcting
the mistake that had been made.
One paper that with wry face
makes a weak argument in Bourne's
behalf admits that "the people were
imposed upon" but says 'that is no
reason they will be all the time" Well,
if they were imposed upon, it is the
duty of the legislature to see to il
that the imposition is not carried out
and the people thereby wronged. Be
sides, if Jonathan imposed on the peo
ple to get the office won't he impose or
them while he holds it? And won't
he try to impose a senator of his owl
choice on them in Fulton's place
What is the use or sense in railing a
the bad uses to which money is pu
in getting offices and electing senators
back East-in New Jersey or New
York or elsewhere, or by Rockefelle
or Hartman or others-and then lie
practically the same thing happel
here?
Say, when Jonathan gets control o
the patronage of oregon-and II elec'
ed he will spare no pains to get it
what sort Of republicans will he al
point to federal Offices? Maybe nc
republicans at all, but Bourne mel
That will be the chief consideration
We shall have here a Bourne machin
with a vengeance. Jonathan will b
the boss of a strictly Bourne part
and faithful and loyal republicans WI
be turned out to short grass. Ho
many republicans want period OF u
rule of Bourne buccaneers in Oregon
The sum of the whole matter is tn
members of the legislature are In
wise bound to respect Statement NO.
in opposition to the dictates of the
better, truer and final judgment, al
that in spite of last springs faux p
they ought to repudiate Bourne on
count of his lack of principles and
litical integrity. If the candidate h
been selected before Statement No.
had been agreed to, or if the choi
had been between only men of go
standing, unblemished character a
party loyalty, then members OF the II
islature might have considered the
selves in duty bound to support
primary nominee. but when it is p
sible for an admittedly and notorlo
ly unfit and unworthy man to rece