Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-06-16

good man for these people to have
for governor, senator, secretary of
state or in their state offices? Why
does the aggregate and combined in
telligence of the people of this state
require the assistance of a few old
line politicians, and a few old politi-
cal bosses and state dictators, sup
plemented by a few new supporters
to constitute themselves into an as
sembly. What benefit could these
men, most of whom will be actuated
and governed by selfishness and who
will be acting for the railroads and
corporations in and about Portland,
and to crafty their own ambitions
and their own selfishness, be to-
ward aiding or assisting the public
mind of this state to know whom
they want to hold the public offices
pof this state? 1t strikes me as be-
ing exceedingly bad taste upon the
part of the leaders of this movement,
as It is a very delicate and round
about way and method of saying 10
the individual voter of the state of
Oregon, You are not intelligent
enough, although you are intelligent
enough to pay taxes, intelligent
enough to raise and educate fam
lily, intelligent enough to help build
up this country and to perform all Of
your duties as a citizen thereof, but
you are not intelligent. enough to go
to the poles and pick out the men you
want for governor, for state senator,
for sheriff. for secretary of state, or
for United States senator without
having a few hundred selected and
self appointed individuals come down
to Portland and consult not with you
the individual voter, but with them
selves as q select body, and then
formulate a ticket containing the
names of men who these self inter
ested and constituted individuals
would be satisfied to have in public
office" In other words, an assembly
movement means that a selected few,
self appointed few, dominated by
the spirit of selfishness and arrog-
ance that they themselves assume,
know more titan the combined in
tellIgence of the people of the state
Of Oregon and that outside of the
few hundred that constitute the as
sembly the balance of the people of
the state are incapable of doing their
own thinking, but must let these self
favored few do the thinking, nom
mating and debating to the balance
Of the state of Oregon. 1t is right
here that the weak spot of this
whole assembly business is. Peo-
pie see clearly that the whole
movement is simply the re-estab-
fishing of a new machine in the
politics of the state to be owned
dominated and controlled by the
monied class and the selfish inter
ests of the corporation and it's
welfare of the common people of the
sCate. If on the other hand, two or
three men in Multnomah county can
control and dominate a state con-
venion, why can they not control
and dominate a state assembly, pos
sibly not as easily, but If you can
dominate four or five hundred men,
why can you not in the same meas
ure manage larger convention? At
least it would be comparatively easy
for a few men in the assembly,
after they have it established and In
order, and have their secret
throughout the state, to
very easily manipulate and arrange
the assembly year after year so that
it would result and end in being
more than convention con-
trolled by and carrying out the will
Of few individuals.
Why is it possible that a people
many Of them who aided Abraham
Lincoln in putting down the great
Civil War and who by the perform
lnce of their civic duties have mani /,
tested their superior intelligence, sa-
sacity and ability, should have to be
old, even in polite way that they
reed the appointment of a sort OF adj
'isory board consisting of state as
embly, to advise them how to per-
orm their civic duties and to exer-
Use their voting franchise in the
uture? 1t seems TO me that this Is
imply nothing more or less than an
insult TO the Intelligence of the peo-
lie Of the state, and that Portland
With the remnants Of one Of the most
orrupt political machines that this
II any other state ever had, is a
itting and proper place for It's
firth.
Can we as a people afford to sup
ort this assembly movement. Is II
ot dangerous TO the welfare of the
and producing people of this
tate that they should permit the
arty 10 be controlled. dictated 10