Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-04-23

modification when the legislature
deadlocked against Senator Allen.
lie was manifestly the popular choice
and his record as a junior, short
term senator gave assurance of eX-
ceptional usefulness to the state. He
was peculiarly honored in the senate
by having been appointed a member
of the judiciary committee He was
able, untainted and honorably Door.
A Disgraceful Episode.
From all quarters for sixty days
the people poured in petitions urging
and demanding his election, yet a
syndicate of INSCRIPTIONS enemies
blocked the legislature, and at length
resorted to bribery to accomplish his
defeat The history of this transac-
ton, skillfully managed at the time,
is now well known to every one ia
miliar with state politics.
The scenes at Olympia during the
deadlock were not intended to in
spire respect for American democ-
racy nor faith in the integrity of the
future state, while the legislative
work throughout was impeded and
! corrupted.
The experiences of certain other
sessions having to do with senatorial
politics might be pointed out, as ad-
ditional proof that the preference of
the people at large should be ex-
pressed in some form or manner that
will be binding on the majority par
ty In the joint assembly to elect for
mally on the first day the choice of
the majority of citizens who placed
them in control of the legislature.
The solution of the problem, how
shall the choice of the people be
elected to the United States senate
without amending the federal con-
stitution, or imperiling the sover-
eign equality of the states in the SEN
ate? lies in requiring obedience on
the part of legislative candidates to
the spirit of the new primary law
How is this obedience to be COM
PEELED?
Simply enough. By action of the
party organization. No candidate
can be a true partisan or good citi-
zen who declines to ratify as legis-
lator what a party majority of the
state affirm is their choice for I'm
tied States senator. The party Or
| ganization for the present campaign
is preserved in county committees
which are to elect delegates to the
state convention at Spokane next
month. Party organization for the
future will be maintained on the bas-
is of precinct committeeman elected
under the primary law, as members
of the several county committees.
discipline in the manner of senatorial
elections.
The Cure.
An emphatic resolution on the part
of political organization enjoining
! it's legislative candidates to enforce
the will of the party majority in the
joint assembly would leave no loop
hole of escape. In the fact of such a
resolution any candidate who de-
clined to file the prescribed declara-
tion would outlaw himself politically
and justify public distrust of his
honesty and sincerity.
The voter will ascertain readily
the candidate who wants to go to the
legislature on speculative or con-
niving basis, so far as senatorial
elections are concerned, inasmuch as
the filed declaration entities a can
didate to have printed opposite or be-
low his name on the ballot, the
words: pledged to vote for party's
choice for United States senator"
The enforcement of Section 81, of
the direct primary law, which is de-
signed to bring about this healthy
reform in the manner of electing the
senators, should be assured by the
cooperation of two forces-the can
didate for the senatorship and the
friends Of the primary law. Con-
gresham Jones avowedly supports
the plan Of party instructions by
county and state conventions, and
has so announced himself. Let SEN
ator Ankeny do likewise, or suffer
from the natural inference that he
is secretly hostile, for personal rea-
sons, to the primary law. Then let
the friends of the law-and it is the
peoples law-see to it that the sew
eral legislative and senatorial dis
trict conventions adopt the proper
instructions to the legislative candi-
dates.
This much done, the next legislat-
ure will elect the popular choice for
United States senator on the first bal
lot in joint assembly without log
rolling, political huckstering. scan