The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1908-08-22
EDITORIAL COMMENT.


The Judgeship Still the Storm Center.
The superior court judgeship con-
tinues to be the political storm CEN
ter. This week we give space to a.
letter from Mr.. Frank Reeves, who
takes exceptions to an editorial that
appeared In last weeks Echo under
the caption THE Nop-Partisan Judge
ship Campaign" In his letter Mr..
Reeves makes the argument of the
shrewd advocate, which we have al
ways said he is.
Now, the Wenatchee Republic, a
newspaper which we have been re-
peatedly told is controlled by Mr..
Reeves, in its issue of last Thursday
labors very hard to make the public
believe that Mr.. Grimshaw's repub-
lican friends have no right to do just
what Mr.. Reeves democratic friends
did at the very outset, before anyone
else had even thought of opening the
campaign. And then the Republic
emits the following highly amusing
whine:
This is not living up to the spirit
of the primary law, which the repub-
lican party has advocated so strong
ly The organization is using every
effort to elect Mr.. Grimshaw and are
appealing to party prejudice. 1t
cannot be because the party leaders
consider Mr. Grimshaw better law
yer, a fairer man or more competent
to sit on the bench of Chelan coun-
ty."
Have not Mr.. Grimshaw's republic
can friends as much right to advocate
his election as have the democratic
friends of Mr.. Reeves? Have they
not, even in the face of the Repub-
lies assertion to the contrary, right
to believe in Mr. Grimshaw's supe-
rior fitness? In one and the same
breath the Wenatchee Republic as
sumes to be the Judge of the moral,
ethical and professional fitness of a
democrat for the Office of superior
court Judge and the unfitness of a
republican for the same Office. Ac-
cording to its code of ethics the
democratic candidates friends may
do any and all things to secure the
election of their man without bring
ing their partisan interest in the mat
ter into question, but republican
may not believe that the republican
canidate is better qualified and there
fore urge republicans and democrats
alike to vote for him on that ground,
without being suspected of partisan
motives.
The Republic says the republican
organization is making strenuous eff
forts to elect Mr.. Grimshaw. If the
republican friends of Mr.. Grimshaw
constitute a republican organization
then the democratic friends of Mr..
Reeves constitute democratic or
ganization. Get away from this If
you can Make the most of it. No
one will be deceived.
| This paper supports the candidacy
of Mr.. Grimshaw on the ground of
his superior fitness for judicial po-
sition Neither he nor anyone else
for him has given this paper one cent
or promised to give it one cent in the
! future The editor is the sole owner.
No one else has any interest, either
/ legal or equitable. The republican
party of Chelan county is indebted
to the paper rather than the paper
being indebted to the party. 1t never
received one cent from the party
that it did not give, at low valua-
ton, ten cents for. To be perfectly
frank it owes the republican party
of Chelan county grudge. 1t has
failed to get the square deal in the
past It's editor, however, reserves
| the right to support whoever it
deems fit and oppose those it deems
unfit, always giving its reasons. it
has in the past supported one man
without any consideration and re-
fused to support another for any
| consideration that might be named.
Perhaps it is for this reason that
the opinion of this paper counts for
something with its patrons.-Leav-
onworfh Echo