Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-03-16
PRIMARY
AFTERMATH
RESULTS OF PRIMARY ELECTIONS
TOPIC OF The DAY.
Bosses Are Still Dazed, and AJAX Each
Other "Can Such Things Ee?" Re-
fuSal to Read Alright the Signs
of the Times Proves Their In
dOiEg.

The results of the primary cleo
tions are still occupying the public
mind, and the reasons being advanced
by the dislodged political machinists
would fill several papers the size of
the Herald. All blame possible is
being placed upon the primary law
by the bunch who would use the City
of Aberdeen as pawn upon the
chessboard of county and state poll
tics, and who see the end of their
power with the success of a method
that permits the people to nominate
their own candidates for office.
The wouldbe bosses give the Cit
liens party credit for shrewdness
that is unearned, when they say that
party only named one candidate from
each ward so as to have no contest,
and enable them to support the weak
est man on the opposition ticket. If
this were true, it would follow that
the republican nominees are weak
men, placed there to be defeated. Is
this true? Those alleging the trick
on the Citizens party will be given
space to answer.
The inside facts in this matter
are, that the republican bosses
started out quite early in the muni-
cipal campaign to force upon the city
a contest upon national political
lines. This is attested by the legal
decisions handed out to the effect
that only republican and democratic
tickets would be allowed at the pri-
mary, and this was quoted in the
press and on the streets to such an
extent that all aspirants for office
were forced-or thought they were
to choose the republican ticket
general was received the time for
filing had nearly elapsed, hence the
small number of candidates on the
Citizens ticket. That this attempt
to remain in control of the city
through the national opinions of the
people failed is not SO much attribut-
able to the shrewdness of the Citi-
zens as it is to the short-sightedness
of the bunch that started into to run
the primaries, and were ran away
with by the voters.
One of the favOrite allegations
urged against the primary law is that
it tends to destroy parties, and the
sudden transformation of F. r. Arch
er and Dan Pearsall from staunch
republicans to Independents in al
most the twinkling of an eye is being
used to illustrate this danger. To
this the voter is heard reply to the
effect that the injection Of national
politics into Aberdeen affairs has not
been a bowling success during the
two years it has been tried and that
the taxpayers of the city are tired of
reading the blunders Of a partisan
city council in their tax receipts.
There is a good story being worked
up about matters in the Fourth ward
that will be interesting reading. The
inside manipulations that led to the
gerrymander of this ward; the wrong
legal guesses made that upset the
plans, and the full story of the pri-
mary campaign will be made public
for the purpose of showing the meth
DDS of the machine and the ease with
which we'll meaning peoples preju-
dices are worked upon.
The result of the primary in this
ward has opened the eyes of a large
number to the far-reaching effects of
the gerrymander, one Of which seems
to be surprise, although wise
head would have expected it. A class
of parasites had been tolerated in
that district to some extent, but when
they undertake an organized move
ment to control the ward their ca
reer is to be cut short, and the police
are now running them either out Of
town or into Jail as fast as they show
up.
When this change of ward boun-
daries was introduced in the council,
this paper opposed the measure as
unfair to South Aberdeen and the re-
spectacle residents of what is now
the Fourth ward, as may be seen by
reference to the Herald Of December
23. The full reasons for the iniqui-
tous measure are known and will be
made public in the proper time,