The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-07-25
NEAR FIGHT At
PRIMARIES
Continued from Page ID

whole does not COuntendnce any
thing that favors of trickery or un-
fairness, and that when the facts are
fully known that our friends who
are responsible for this condition
will not receive hearty commenda-
ton. 1t is, of course, not to be ex-
pected that mistakes will not be
made, but it is to be expected that
when these mistakes are disclosed
prompt steps will be taken to correct
the same.
Having always been an active re-
publican and believing that it is the
duty of every good citizen to take
an active part in his party organiza
ton, l expected to attend the eau
cuses for the coming convention and
have been on the lookout for the
published call. While in the Met
how and Okanogan, on the CONNER
cial club trip, | was informed that
the caucus might be held on Friday
evening, consequently upon my re-
turn to town on Friday noon, l look
ed in the papers for the call, and was
surprised to find that they were
called for the night before. Satur-
day morning | first earned of the
shortness of the call and of the
methods by which the delegate ticket
had been prepared, and in talking
the matter over with the other re-
publicans the suggestion was made
that a conference be held to talk the
matter over. For want of a better
place our office was selected, and at
1870 Saturday afternoon large
number of representative republi-
cans were present. From inquiry and
investigation, it was learned that the
legal notices of ten days required for
calling a caucus and primary and
for closing the registration books
had not been given, consequently the
primary erection then being held was
informal to say the least. In view
of this fact aid of the time-honored
custom of the party, the suggestion
was made that representative tick
ct be placed in the field and conse-
quently such a ticket was prepared.
Although the caucus and primary
had not been regularly called by
ten days notice, those in charge of
the ballot box in the Wenatchee pre-
cinct refused to let anyone vote who
had not registered or who did not
vote their slate ticket"
DIR. King Talks.
DR.. King, who has been one of the
war horses of the organization for
years and who could have been elect
ed to congress from this district if
he had agreed to run, said:
''It was one of the most high
handed efforts to steal the delega-
ton l ever saw. 1t was a cut-and-
dried slate clear through. 1 never
saw anything like it in my life. The
fixed up ticket, planned and picked,
by half dozen in the ring, was given
to us and we were asked to vote it
or go without a vote.
Il asked the precinct committee
man last Monday when he was going
to hold the caucus, and he said he
didn't know. Yet as soon as bunch
of the boys got out of town the mem
bers of the ring got together and
fixed up the ticket.
"A republican caucus is supposed
to be a representative affair. There
are several hundred progressive re-
publicans in this city-the majority
of the voters, in fact, are Of this
falkland yet the ring methods used
prevented these from having a voice
in the caucus.
THE notice for a caucus was given
one day in advance. That caucus
consisted of six voters from the pre-
clnct. One of the number pulled out
of his pocket a previously prepared
list of delegates to the county con-
vention, and moved that 81 of these
be named as the delegates, and the
one making the motion was too mod
est to nominate himself, and, as pre-
viously arranged, another jumped up
and nominated the mover, making 80
in all They then proceeded to Sc
lect three judges from their own
who run the primary with
mailed fist, they absolutely refusing
to allow an insurgent to vote unless
he voted the standpat Burke ticket.
Elmer Thayer, George d. COburn,
DR.. r. C. Congdon and myself went
in to vote at the same time. We
were each denied the privilege in
turn. 1t was a piece of the highest
handed jobbery that l have ever had
the privilege of witnessing in Amer
lea. The city CLERK arbitrarily and
automatically closed the registration
books and turned them over to the
judges without any authority or war
rant of law. The other judges (there
was no clerk) were insolent in their
conduct towards the legal and quail
fed electors of the precinct who