The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1910-05-06


convention so called would be legally
entitled to have their name appear on
the official ballot
Mr.. Poindexter's letter raised this
question in an eminently proper way
and without beating about the bush. 1t
said:
I beg to say that l have since
been advised that this proposition is in
violation OF the amended primary law,
as adopted by the last legislature,
which provides for the convention to
be held after, instead OF before, the
primary. l trust that you will see to it
that such being the case no effort is
made to violate the spirit and purpose
of our primary law by holding con-
vention other than as provided in the
primary law ITSELF
No attention whatever was paid to
this letter and it is our firm conviction
that the meeting Of the committee was
in violation of law in that said commit
tee has no right to call convention,
and that the state convention set for
August 8 has no legal standing, neither
will the candidates named therein have
any right to place on the party ticket.
Indeed, the law dealing with the mat
ter is so plain that a layman cannot
mistake its meaning. There is no
doubt that the amended primary law
passed by the legislature of 1909 legis-
lated the state committee elected in
the previous year out of existence.
THE original law continued the ex-
isting party machinery, but the amend
ed law of last year omitted this provi-
sion, and, instead, made detailed and
specific provision for the election OF
state committees. State committee
men, under the present law, must be
chosen by the precinct committeeman
of their party, who meet in county con-
vention for that purpose on the second
Saturday following the September pri-
maries. The only power the amended
law gives to the retiring state commit
tee is that of setting date earlier than
the second Saturday after the primaries
for the election of state committeeman,
and, inferentially, of calling the newly
elected state committeeman together
for the purpose of organization. The
state committee at its meeting last
Wednesday was absolutely without
power to call state convention OF the
party.
'All that it could rightfully have
done was to make provision for the
election and organization Of the state
committee, which will take its author
ity from the September primaries. The
committee to be elected in September
will be the only one vested with au-
thority to call state convention for the
nomination Of supreme court judges,
and the earliest date at which prop
erly authorized republican state con-
vention can be held for the nomination
of supreme court judges will be late in
September or early in October.
THE Progressives also opposed a
convention before the September pri-
maries because it will tend inevitably
to make the candidates for the supreme
bench the representatives not of a
party, but OF faction Of party. The
friends OF at least two of the standpat
candidates for United States senator
worked for an early convention, be-
cause they believe it will give them an
opportunity to commit the party to
their own construction of republican
policies and republican principles. In
deed, Senator Jones, who openly OPP
poses the candidacy of Representative
Poindexter, and who is generally be-
lieved to be in an alliance with ex-
Senator Wilson, recently addressed a
letter to members of the state COM
mittee, in which he advised them in
effect to hold an early convention and
read the Paogressives out OF the party.
The Progressives do not intend to
be read out Of their party by Senator
Jones or any other man, but they do
object to the peanut tactics which do