Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-10-06

. a + MACHiNE, ~ CON hOL
! COURT
SEATTLE. Oct. THE following
statement was given out today at the
Headquarters OF the NonPartisan Ju-
dietary League by Rufus r. Wilson,
chairman OF its campaign committee:
/ In presenting the names Of five
men as candidates for the Supreme
Court the NOn-Partisan Judiciary
League is urholdiug a principle the
principle Of the direct primary law.
I he sole purpose of the League in
calling convention and nominating
candidates for the Supreme bench
was to restore these nominations to
the people. The League has no 9TH
er aim nor has it any other reason
Ilc. eAIs,tLte. Once this is accom-
I plishoa il " automatically disband.
/ in no other way, save by the cleo
ti3H OF the five men nominated by
/ The Non. PARTISAN judiciary League,
can the peOpie' OF The state recover
ille Iisht that was wrested from them
by Tie Legislature of 1909.
The Legislature which meets in
1911 may or may not repeal tie
amending act OF 1899 That remains
were nominated BY the hand-picked
Republican convention are elected it
viii axe no difference whether the
amending act is repealed or not. The
men for whom the act was passed
viii be elected to hold their office
fer the next six years. The repeal
OF the 1909 amending act will be prac-
! tically imperative for that period.
Z dot
nominated by the Non-Partisan Ju-
dietary League and approved by the
Democratic state convention are elec-
ted, the people will two years hence
have an opportunity to nominate and
elect five men for the Supreme bench
Each of the five non-partisan candi-
dates has Pledged himself to place
his resignation in the hands of the
governor before the next general
election These designations will
make five vacancies to be filled, and
the election of the non-partisan candi-
dates this fall will carry with it the
repeal of the amending act. The net
result will be q notification of the
legislative jobbery of 1909; the Su-
preme Court will be answerable to the
people instead of to the special in
terests and those who seek to cur
tail the peoples rights to the enlarge
ment of corporation powers will have
! learned the folly of attacking the di-
rect primary.
The candi~..,es presented to the
people by the Non-Partisan Judiciary
League are non-partisan in the strict
sense of the word. They. as all pa
triotic citizens, irrespective OF par
ty affiliations, believe in the theory
and practice of a non-partisan judi
ciary nominated and elected by the
people. Their acceptance by the DEM
ocratc state convention was due to
the fact that this convention repre-
sented the will of the Democrats OF
the state whereas the Republican
state convention was not representa-
tive of the will of the Republicans
of the state, but of certain design
ing interests anxious tC keep certain
individuals on the Supp me bench.
The Democrats of the state have sim
ply Joined forces with the Republi-
cans Of the state to defeat the scheme
of the state machine which improp-
erly styles itself "Republican."
! Out of this union grew the Non
Partisan Judiciary League. The
events which led up to the formation
of the League had their beginning two
years ago when the Root-GordOn scan
dal shocked the citizens of Washing
ton. The details of that shameful
affair are still reasonably fresh in
the public mind. The disclosures
which followed the Gordon shortage
showing that Supreme Court decisions
were written by Great Northern law
yers aroused feeling of distrust that
was statewide. Public confidence in
the Supreme Court was shaken and
circumstances which before had been
merely inexplicabe took on a sin
lister suggestion.
When the Legislature met in Janu-
ary, 1909, it was evident to those who
watch closely matters relating to the
Supreme court that something would
have to be done to prepare for the
election in 1910. when five places
were to be filled. Under the direct
primary law as it stood in 1909, the
voters of the state could nominate
and elect to the Supreme bench whom
they saw fit. That they would not
see fit to nominate any of the present
members of that body was obvious
Therefore the nomination must be
taken away from the people and CIV
en- to the bosses. Such an act was
drawn by an attache of the Supreme
Court. 1t was forced. jammed and
traded through the Legislature. 1t
was signed by the governor and in
due course became law.
The next move is recent history
l. the notorious Tacoma convention
where drunken delegates, in their
bar-room revels. cheered the interests
and scoffed at the people. The con-
vention was cut and dried. There
was no semblance of popular repre-
sentation. The Non-Partisan Judi
ciary League was born after the Ia
coma convention. 1t was brought into
being to defeat the purpose of that
convention and to accomplish this it