The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1909-07-29
LEAGUE RULE
PLAN IS NOW PROPOSED

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1t is ouu desire to extend the work
ings of this league throughout the stat,
campaign. We will have a committe,
in each precinct and as fast as we ge
enough members in any locality, we vii
organize Il local branch of the eagu,
and elect permanent Officers. W.
want everybody who believes in clear
government to Join uS farmers. wage
workers, business men, profe,siona
men. The keynote of our organization
will be that human rights are para
mount to property rights, whenever the
two are in conflict This is the way
we will adopt our platform. \ ballot
will be sent to each member and on it he
will write the measures which he would
like to see incorporated into the plat
form. The measures receiving a ma
joitv vote of the members will be
adopted as IA platform of the league
Thus only popular measures will be
adopted. For Instance Some man
may favor singletaX, another initiative
and referendum, still another, exempt
ion of improvements from taxation
ETC., but if any one of these measures
failed to receive a aiority it would
not be incorporated into the platform
BY thus adopting only popular measures
we will advocate only what the people
want and are ready for and we will get
it. We will send out pledges to every
candidate for office on the republican
ticket and from those who sign these
pledges we will select a ticket which
the league will endorse for the cam
paign We want to be able to finance
the campaign of our choice for the dif-
ferent offices. If we are able to do
this we can nominate men who are fit
70 the office no matter how poor fl
nancially they may be. They will be
men who have no moneyed interestes
to serve, but will be of the people.
Contrary to the belief of some, we
are by no means antagonistic to direct
legislation leagues. We are avowedly
for direct legislation and in thorough
sympathy with any men or body of men
who may be working toward that end.
before direct legislation can be placed
upon the statute books of this state.
through an amendment to the constitu-
tion. We propose to have some needed
legislation before that time. Laws
for the protection of labor, for the bene-
fit of the farmers can be enacted at the
next legislature if we send our men
there to do it. We are not opposed to
the direct legislation league, but we
want something right away and we are
going to get it. We are more than a
party of one idea-we have several.
Many things will come up in the near
future which need immediate attention.
The last legislature shamefully took
from the people the right to name can
didates for the supreme court and rele-
gated that right back to the old party
convention. We propose to name those
candidates. We will find way to do
it. There will be no friction between
the two organization because both are
working toward the same end, honest
government. Direct legislation will be
one of the measures we shall ask for
beyond the shadow of a doubt, but we
want to go farther than that.
The forces which have heretofore
dominated politics have been numerically
very small per centage of the voters
of the state, but they have been able to
work their will through the apathy Of
the voters on the one hand and their
division into the political camps on the
other hand We too are going to create
machine, but it will be a machine
controlled by the majority of the voters.
In the very nature of things there can
be no bossism because every voter will
have an equal voice and nothing can he
done without the consent of the ma
jority. In other words we are going
to use a machine to whip machine.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Kauffman's
remarks questions were asked of the
speaker and general discussion was in
dulged in. II was decided not to take
steps at that meeting to effect an or
ganization owing to the small crowd
present but committee was appointed
to confer with the local direct legisla
tion league to bring about better un-
derstanding between the two organiza
tions and if possible, plan some method
of co operation. Mr.. Kaufman will
be in attendance at the next convention
of the Snohomish county Grange and a
meeting will be arranged about that
time to be held in this city at which
he will be present. In the meantime,
personal work will be done by the ad
vocates of the majority league idea to
acquaint as many as possible with the
objects and plan of organization OF the
league.