Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-17
URGE VOTERS TO
CUT FREDERICKS
Willard Suggests Issuing State
ment Declaring Candidate
Unfit for Office
REPUBLICANS IN A DILEMMA
Many Demand That Unsavory
Candidate Retire from
Political Field
REPUBLICANS IN A DILEMMA


the Republican county central com
mittee because of the candidacy @
J. d. Fredericks is the topic now mos
discussed by Republican voters. Rus
Avery and the other officers of tn
committee have elected to come ou
openly for Captain Fredericks, Will
other members of the committee ar
said to be demanding yet that Nj
Fredericks should subside entirely.
Under the law Captain Frederick
cannot withdraw from the nomina
tlon, although such a demand is sal
to have been made on him at the con
ference between the district attorne
and the Republican committee by on
of the most influential members c
the committee. The suggestion tha
the revolving members of the com
mittee sign an anti-Fredericks publ
statement is offered by Charles Z
Willard In the current Pacific Out
look. In discussing the situation MI
Willard says:
The awkwardncss of the situation
in which the Lincoln-R Roosevelt
Good Government people who have
accepted places on the party COM
mittees find themselves has been
greatly increased by the Fredericks
episode. The leaders in the great
IGNOlL dBdtu6L lil6 SIdl0 IIldCnlIlG
are all men to whom party is not
the very first consideration. In
local matters they are adherents
to the doctrine Of non-partisanship
and voting for the best man.
IMPOSSIBLE CANDIDATE
When candidates are somewhere
near of equal merit, or where at
least there is no serious objection
to the one put up by the party, the
straight ticket may be accepted by
the committeeman, and he can still
feel that he has done his duty as a
citizen. But when, as in the case
of Fredericks, the ticket has a can
didate who is quite impossible,
whose career in office forbids him
the votes of good citizens, then the
situation must be met by some
kind of action.
Four alternatives are under these
conditions, open 20 the committee
man: (D Swallowing the bad NOM
ination. (2) Staying on the COM
mittee and giving notice of unwill-
ingness to support the candidate.
(3) Saying nothing, but voting
against the candidate. () Resign
ing from the committee.
Some argument can be offered
in behalf of each of these courses.
1T may be urged that it is better
to stand for ono or two bad NOM
nations than to risk the ruin of
the general ticket upon which large
issues may be hanging. This theory
had some force when the parties
stood on an even footing, and when
there were genuine differences of
policy between them, but it does
not hold under present conditions.
The support of bad candidate is
more likely to detract from the
strength of the general ticket than
add to 1t. OF course, If the office
is one of minor Importance or the
delinquency not vital it may be bet
ter to pass the matter over without
action; but the instance we are
considering is not of that kind.
To say nothing, but vote against
the candidate Is the ancient and
accepted method, especially for ma
chine men. A belief that organi-
zation workers vote the straight
ticket is prevalent among politi-
cal suckers. |. e.. straight party
voters, but the initiated know bet
ter Every party organization is
honeycombed with personal quar-
rels and these used to be worked
out in secret, everybody profess
ing the utmost loyalty to the whole
ticket. This method will not COM
mend itself to the men who make
up the membership of the new Re-
publican state and county COM
mittee, eXcept, as we have said,
when the difficulty is one of minor
Importance.
ISSUE JOINT LETTER
No doubt the easiest honorable
nrIt fey ferY1o ton N
committee. but that has one seri-
Gus drawback. There must be a
party organization and it must be
in charge of somebody. If every
conscientious man, or at least all
who apply their conscfences to pol
itics, were to pull out, 1t would
leave the business in bad hands.
If it is not right for all to re-
sign, then it is not right for one to
pursue that course.
Our own theory of the right and
wrong of the situation is that those
of the county central committee,
who, on considering the evidence
now before the public, particular
ly that involved in the King will
forgery case, believe that Freder-
ticks is not a fit man for the dis
trict attorneyship, should in a
public letter either jointly or indi-
vidually state their views. IF then
the majority of the committee sees
fit to ask them to resign, they
should resign; otherwise they
should continue in service to the
end. Having once stated their cb-
lection there is no reason why
they should restate it and a sense
of propriety would naturally for
bid their taking an active part in
the campaign on the other side.
At the time this is written one
member of the committee has al
ready resigned and it is known that
many others feel that some action
is necessary to relieve the strain.
On our part. we are not Offering
these suggestions with a view to
helping out the Woolwine cam
paign or defeating Captain Fred
ericks, But because of our sympa-
thv with the members of the COM
mittee in their awkward predica-
ment AS far as F'redericks is con-
cerned, he is already defeated, He
has not the slightest chance of re-
election and he would not have If
his opponent were a stranger and
a new man in the community. in
stead of one who commands the
public admiration and confidence
in the highest degree.
The court-You will swear that the prisoner