East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-01-29
MIR. GEER'S CANDIDACY.

| isNl ioI lluHi NHS odlil JOURNAL, IL is
difficult to determine whether the
editor OF that paper is poking fun at
7. T. Geer's candidacy for congress
in the second Oregon district. or
whether he is really serious in saying
that Mr.. Geer should be candidate.
The editorial is as follows and the
readers and voters may enjoy it and
judge for themselves:
shall a man make himself a can
didate or shall he wait until the peo-
pie make him a candidate?
Under the direct primary law the
tlmid man, who will not rustic and
press his claims, stands little chance
of getting onto the ticket.
Under the direct primary law the
unknown man, who has not got him
self before the people very much in
any public way can't get office
But man who has spent a great
deal of time travelling about in politi-
cal campaigns has an advantage.
THE man who gets such a nomina-
ton under the direct primary has to
exert himself to make any impression
on the people who do not know him
personally.
1T takes quite a sacrifice of time
and money to get onto the ticket for
state office, or for congress, and
aspirants for those places are making
quite sacrifice to even get into po-
sition to have the dear people vote
for them or against them.
so we should not discourage the
best kind of men from coming up for
nomination.
The editor of the East Oregonian
is throwing his harpoon into T. T.
Geer for running for congress
Huffman is a. democrat who runs
an Independent paper and seems to
think if that district has to have
republican congressman it prefers the
lesser of two evils, and favors Con-
gresham Ellis.
1t is an awkward place to put an
Independent editor into, and we are
sorry Bro. Huffman is throwing stones
at 7. T. Geer.
There is no constitutional inhibi-
ton to prevent Geer from being a
candidate for congress.
I'VE do not like the idea ourselves
of getting in and downing another
man to make place for ourselves.
But Geer feels he has a right to
enter the national arena. He has
served in all capacities from road su-
pervisor and school director to gov
ernor, and there is nothing more in
state politics for him.
He wants a try at national politics
and he has right to run for con-
gress or any other office.
He will find Ellis running too, be-
fore he gets through. 1t is not so
easy to brush man aside who is in
the saddle.
But Geer is a newspaper writer |
and as a newspaper writer he could |
serve the people In a double capac-
ity.
HE could let the daylight into the
crooked practices at Washington and |
turn the daylight into official dark
ness with his pen as well as his voice.
I'VE would say to Bro. Huffman.
Give Geer a chance to go to congress |
and show the people what he can do
He might do better than any man
who has been there from Oregon
hut he would have to do some rustl-
ing.
"At any rate, under the direct pri-
mary law there is nothing to prevent
his trying to make himself candi-
date.
THE people must either make him
a candidate in spite Of himself, or he
must get in and make himself cam
didate."
A few statements in the Journals |
editorial require correction, however |
and since the editor OF the East Ore
gonian is connected with the matter
it will only be fair to reply that the
editor of the East Oregonian is not a |
democrat; in supporting Congressman |
Ellis for reelection he is not "choos- |
ing the lesser OF two evils" as be- !
tween Ellis and Geer, but is support |
ing Ellis because he is a bona fide /
resident OF eastern Oregon, Is now In |
the office and is in a position to get
some good results for his district, all
Of which reasons are undisputable
and hnanswerable.