The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1910-05-06
THEY IGNORE POLITICAL ISSUES
Members of the Republican State Central
Committee Stand Pat-Violate Pro-
visions of Election Law

Spokane, May 3.-The standpat
members Of the Republican state COM
mittee at the meeting Of that body at
Seattle on April 81, ignoring the plain
provisions of the law, called state con-
vention for the nomination of Supreme
Court judges to be held at Tacoma on
August 8. They also tabled the fol-
lowing resolution moved and seconded
by Progressives:
Whereas, The law Of 1909, chang
ing the nomination of Supreme Court
judges to the old convention system,
and thereby repeating the direct prim-
airy method adopted in 1907, was pass
ed by legislature elected under and
pledged to support the nomination OF
all state officers, including Supreme
Court judges, by the direct primary
system, and such repeal was direct
violation Of the pledges of such legisla-
tors to the voters OF the state; and
Whereas, 1t is desirable that the
nomination of all judges in the state be
kept as far as possible from partisan
politics or from political domination;
and also that the greatest freedom and
power be given to the people OF the
state in making such nominations, to
the end that such judges be amenable
to all the people in their nomination,
as we'll as in their election; and
Whereas, We favor non-partisan
judiciary and the restoration of the di-.
rect primary system to the nomination
of Supreme Court judges; and
Whereas, There is a serious ques-
ton as to whether the present Repub-
lican state central committee has the
right to call a state convention; and it
is exceedingly doubtful whether the
nominees of a convention so called
would be legally entitled to have their
names appear on the official ballot;
now therefore be it
Resolved, That it is the sense OF
this Republican state central commit
tee that no state convention be called
for the nomination of Supreme Court
Judges in this state by this commit
tee."
THE voters of the state will take
careful heed OF what occurred at Seattle
last Wednesday" says Rufus R. Will
son, secretary of the Progressive Re-
publican League.
THE state central committee OF the
Republican party tabled resolution
calling for the return Of the nomination
of Supreme Court judges to the direct
primary, policy that would simply re-
store a condition that the party was
pledged to maintain. The legislature
of 1909, unduly influenced by corporate
influences, repealed the direct primary
system as applied to the judges Of the
Supreme Court, although the legisla-
ture was elected under and pledged to
support the nomination of all state Off
GERS, including the judges, by that
system. We shall not impugn the
motives of the committee, but is it
possible that the various members could
have read carefully the paragraph which
declares thus:
ut is desirable that the nomination
of all Judges in the state be kept as far
as possible from partisan politics or
from political domination and that the
greatest freedom and power be given
to the people Of the state in making
such nomination to the end that such
Judges shall be amenable TO all the
people in their nomination as well as
their election
And if they read it, did they real
ize that by killing this resolution they
were placing themselves on record as
favoring the complication of judgeship
nominations with the politics Of state
convention? 1t is hard to believe that
such was the case, and yet what other
construction can be placed on the
tabling Of the resolution without any
serious discussion? The voters of the
state will also want to know what
means the gentlemen of the committee
took to ascertain their own legal stand
ing in the eyes of the law. The reso-
luton raises the question directly in
the following:
" There is a serious question as to