The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1908-04-17
ANSWERS TWEEDALE
C. A. Barrett Refutes Arguments of
Albany Man Regarding State
ment No. l.

l1caC1o0 was rerusou. lie tneD SenI III
to The Journal. Mr.. Barrett is the
only Republican candidate for repre-
sentative in Umatilla county who has
come out on a Statement No. plat
form. Present indications are that he
will be nominated by the Republican
voters of the county. His letter to the
Oregonian follows:
"Atbena. Or. April 4.-To the Ed
itor of the Oregonian-It has never
been my purpose to rush into news.
paper correspondence. especially to dis
sertate on political subjects. But
when communications like that of the
learned and intelligent W. 9. Twee-
dale of Albany in the Oregonian of the
second instant, appear am somewhat
impelled to answer them, but at the
same time beg the pardon of the lead
ing public for doing so.
at has long been understood that
the Oregonian is a newspaper of great
worth, great force, and it now has
national reputation. In order for this
paper to maintain its present and past
high standard it seems that it should
be at least necessary for it to publish
nothing misleading-nothing but the
plain, unvarnished truth about great
political issues before the people,
especially when such issues are based
upon law. OF course there is an an
cient legal maxim to the effect that
Ignorance of the law excuses no one;"
however this may he, it is universally
understood that but few people know
the law. This writer does not profess
to know it by auy means, and it is not
the purpose of this communication to
endeavor to lead anyone to believe that
he does know it.
''But the point is this: The learned
and scholarly Mr.. Tweedale in his COM
municatlon has either willfully sought
to mislead these who may read this ar
ticle, or he has mistakenly placed
construction upon the meaning of the
primary law and Statement No. /,
which, at first glance, is likely to mis-
lead many voters. This is too plain
for cavil, and the Oregonian knows
that the construction in said commun-
ieation is not only false and unfounded,
but likely to mislead many voters; and
this peing so. is it doing right by its
thousands of readers to give space to
such au article?
"Tne primary law is plain, but the
great majority of people in Oregon
have perhaps never read it, and will
never read it, and they depend upor
great newspapers like the Oregonian
to give the said law fair, honest,
truthful Interpretation. But here in
this instance the learned and SO holarly
Mr.. Tweedale tries to make his readers
believe that il there are five Republi-
can candidates for United States sena
tor before the primaries, and four of
them get 1000 votes each and the 9th
or 1900, the one getting 1900 is not
the choice of the people and that since
the Demool ats have only one candidate
and his vote is $500, it would entitle
him to be elected United States senator
according to Statement No /.
Nothing could be farther from the
truth, and it is so palpable that we are
inclined to say that the assertion is
willfully misleading. The fact, under
such circumstances, would be that the
Republican getting 1900 votes would
be- the Republican nominee at the en-
suing election in June. and the Demo
orat getting $500 votes would to the
nominee of his party. Hence, if the
Republicans who are true to party want
to do so, they can vote for their nomi-
nee andgive him the full $500 votes,
and he would certainly be ''the peoples
choice" because the Democrat would
only get 2, 500 votes.
''In this instance the result would be
that all Statement No. 1 members of
the legislature would have to vote for
the Republican candidate for United
states senator, and If majority of
the members of the legislature were
Statement No. 1 men, the peoples
ohG.0e. would be elected; if the legis-
latuIe dld not have majority of
Statement No. men then, and in that
event, the peoples choice might not
be elected, but instead the Legislature
might be tied up for 40 days and
nights trying TO elect a senator.
Therefore Statement No. 1 is the
nearest expedient we have for eleoting
TO the United States senate the 'peo.
pies choice.
''lf at the coming primary election
Fulton should receive $1,000 votes and
Cake $1,000 or vice versa, and Cham
herlain $4,000. it would not follow by
any means that Chamberlain would be
elected at the June election as the
peoples choice" because at the cleo
tion Fulton or Cake, whichever got the
1000 votes, might get the entire Re-
publican vote of $1,000, and thereby
be the peoples choice, because Cham
berlain would only get $4,000 votes.
Therefore. when the legislature would
meet to elect a senator, if it had ma.
iority of Statement No. members the
election would be simple and the said
Cake or Fulton. as the case might be
declared elected without any 40 days
of quibbling, bribing and rasoality.
&C. A. Barrett. "
Plenty of Trouble
is caused by stagnation of the liver
and bowels. To get rid of it and head