Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-20
REPUBLICANS OF
OREGON FORCED
TO KEEP PLEDGE
LEGISLATURE ELECTS DEMO
Graf TO U. S. SENATE
UNPRECEDENTED ACT DUE TO
DIRECT PRIMARY
Utah Returns Toga to Smcot-Cun1-
Minis Wins in IoWa-Many
Other States Also Choose
SoIons
by Associated Press.l

q ALIEN, Ore, Jan. 19.-Inability to
IN bring influential senators into line
~ for a Republican senator blocked
the attempt to defeat Governor George
E. Chamberlain, Democrat, for the
United States senate, in the legislative
body today.
The vote in the house stood "a, in
the senate SO, or seven more than was
necessary to bring about the election
of Chamberlain.
The vote in the house was: Cham
berlain, "a; Fulton, Republican, II;
Cake, Republican, IA.
The vote in the senate stood: Cham
berlain, 10; Fulton, z; Cake, 8; Bean,
Republican, 1.
Although Chamberlain was the peo-
pies choice for United States senator
a determined effort was made for
months to defeat him.
Senator Charles w. Fulton, whom
Chamberlain will succeed, had, it is
said, repeatedly urged the legislature to
elect Republican instead of a Demo-
crat, despite the fact that a majority
of the members were pledged to the
people to vote for Chamberlain.
Eastern political Influences are al
legged to have interfered in the Oregon
senatorial situation, and even the as
sistance of President-elect Taft and
Frank Hitchcock, chairman of the Re
publican national committee, had, it is
said, been solicited.
Various members of the United States
senate were called upon, but declined
to ask Oregon legislators to break the
pledge.
A peoples lobby assembled at Salem
from every section of the state, and
the component parts of this lobby were
determined to see the pledged mem
bers abide by their obligation to vote
for Chamberlain.
The election of Chamberlain may
solve the problem of electing senators
by popular vote without infringing on
the provisions of the constitution of
the United States.
Was First Real Test
While Senator Jonathan Bourne and
former Senator Frederick Mulkey were
elected by a Republican legislature
and by the same system used in Cham
berlain's case, the real test today was
in the fact that Bourne and Mulkey
are Republicans and Chamberlain a
Democrat.
The Republicans having kept their
pledge and elected a Democrat, the
system now has been tried thoroughly
Under the oregon direct primary law
political parties nominate a candidate,
as the choice of the party, for United
States senator. For the nominee of the
Republicans in the last election Sen
ator Fulton was defeated by Harry NJ
Cake. The Democrats had but one
aspirant, Governor Chamberlain.
Prior to the June election Cake and
Chamberlain campaigned for the pop
ular vote, Chamberlain, Democrat, de-
feating Cake, Republican, although Or
egon is a Republican state by an over
Whelming majority.
Candidates for the legislature have
the choice of three platforms. They can
subscribe to statement No. 1, state
ment No. 2, or run unpledged
Statement No. 1 is a promise to vote
in the legislature for the candidate re-
ceiving the highest number of votes,
irrespective Of his political Affiliations
Statement No. 2 is a promise to vote
for only the candidate of the party and
not for the peoples choice.
The popularity of statement No is
apparent from the complexion Of the
legislature, for of it's ninety members
fiftytwo-mostly Republicans - sub
scribed to statement No. 1, thus bind
ing themselves to vote for the popular
choice, who in this case is Chamber
lain. Democrat
This gave Chamberlain on joint bal
lot six more votes than were needful
to elect him.
On the result of the Oregon expert
ment in selecting United States senat-
ors by popular vote, expressed by the
depended the attitude of several other
states now contemplating the adoption
Of Oregon's primary law.
Every statement No. 1 man in the
house kept his pledge, though many
did so under protest, sending written
explanations to the speakers desk to
be made a part Of the journal.