The National tribune., 1910-12-08

Few months Gilbert Hitchcock, a Dem
ocrat, will come into the Senate on al
election under its provisions.
But the Oregon plan for choosing
Senators by a popular majority is only
one feature of Mr.. Bourne's large actV'
tiles. One of his friends was recently
deputed to the New Jersey field, where
Gov -elect Woodrow Wilson, with al
eye upon the Presidency in 1912, has
championed the election as Senator oi
Farmer MARITIME, who stands forth as
the primary choice of the Democrats
Under its primary law oregon VIII eN-
press a choice as to Presidential candl-
dates for both parties in 1872. The
State will vote very early, and the eX-
preston of the popular preference
there will undoubtedly have no small
influence upon the preconVentlon cam
paigns alike OF Democratic and Repub-
lcan candidates.
No Partisanship In 1t.
Senator Bourne is a Republican, but
he knows no politics in the champion
shin of his popular Government idea.
He supported 4 Democrat for Cover
nor of Oregon this Autumn, because the
Republican cadidate was nonllnateu III
a manner to imperil the primary taW'
and the Democrat won. Of Iate ne mas
taken pains to inform Gov.-elect VIII
Presidential primary and of the fact
that Oregon Democrats are Watching
TO some purpose his progress\in getting
Farmer MARITIME 4 toga. The private
word from Jersey is that MartineS s Tor
tunes are looking up decidedly, IN spite
of the fact that the vote cast Tor MN
i'll the primaries was very small and in
spite of the fact that the law has been
regarded as joke.
The Senator has followed with Keen
interest the efforts for the popular cleo
tion Of Senators in his native State OF
Massachusetts, but is well aware of the
uphill fight there. He hopes for much
from the Democratic Governor and the
Democratic LEGISLATURE in Maine, where
these authorities have an unusual op-
portunity to set an example in progress
sive legislation of that character for
ali of conservative New England. His
propa ganda will be urged before the
Democratic Legislature of New York,
where the party is committed to popu-
lar elections of Senators, and also be-
fore the Democratic Legislature of
Ohio. where Gov. Harmon and his Larty
have taken a somewhat antagonistlc
attitude.
But Senator Bourne is the apostle OF
popular Government in much wider
sense. His speech, delivered in the
Senate last Spring, has been in surpris-
ing demand. Several mllllOn copies OI
it have been distributed. and requests
for large numbers of it are still coming
in the daily mail. He undertook the
speech with some diffidence, and was
reluctant ITO appear before Good Gov
ernment Organizations that flooded him
with requests to come and explain his
ideas in more detail. He accepted
some of the invitations, and thereby
gained material confidence in himself
as a platform speaker.
He has in recent months invaded
Wall Street. and argued with the cap
tains and magnates of industry whom
he encountered about the wisdom of
Government absolutely by the people.
He has had a tete-a-tete with Rookie
feller on the subject. He tells the big
capitalists that universal primaries are
their only safeguards for the future;
that old methods for the capitalistic
control over legislation means anarchy
and revolution in the long run. and
that legitimate industry will suffer tre-
mendous injury.
Of course, Senator Bourne does not
claim to be the sole champion of the
popular Government idea. There have
been and are many others, Democrats
as well as Republicans, but he was the
author and promoter of the oregon
plan, and has therein a greater record
OF achievement than any others who
have been cooperating to the same