The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-07-20

About the time that Chamber
lain was sent to Washington, al
year ago last January, the "regu-I
lar" republicans, including ex-
Senator Fulton, ex-senator Simon
and the rest of the old guard
that for years had played the cor
poration game at home and abroad
under the guise were controlling
the state central committee.
Bad for the Gang.
Under the primary laws there
are no conventions; the voters do
1t at the primaries. That was bad,
oh, very bad for the gang, be-
cause, while before they could al
ways, with the aid of corporation
campaign funds, control the state
central committee they could not
handle the voters who chose their
candidates at the primaries.
So, despairing of ever getting
back into the game under the
present system, these gentlemen
invented a new plan. They la
beled 1t the republican assembly,
which was to meet under the
auspices of the central republican
committee, make out ticket a
few weeks before the primaries
and offer it to the voters at the
primaries as the regular repub-
lican ticket" You would not
think that would work, would
you, considering that republican
voters had adopted the primary
system as their method of choos-
ing the party candidates, and that
the assembly plan was Illegal un-
der the aforesaid primary law?
The Scheme Worked.
But the stunt did work in the
Portland election last year and
Jos. Simon was, of course, chosen
the assembly candidate. and later,
30 strong is the pull of the old
conjuring term regular party
ticket elected by a scant major
ity, some so per cent of the reg
istered voters going to the polls.
Simon, of course, played the
game for all it was worth and
formed a strong central political
machine to control state poll
tics.
Oregon is in the midst of a.
state campaign and the Simon-Ful-
ton crowd is going to have a state
assembly that will attempt to die
tate to the voters who shall be on
the regular republican ticket.
The party press is using every
effort to fool the voters, party
ties are made the thing, political
grafters, that were shunted out of
public offices when the primary
law gave the voters a chance al
them, are slipping out of their Sc
clusion and assuming the dictator
ship of the state republican CEN
trail committee.
Doubtless the same game will
be worked in other states that
have adopted the primary system.
1t is the last struggle of partisan
politics against the bigger, better
era.
Simon to Be Governor.
The plan is Simon for governor.
and the rest of the corporation sa-
telites for the rest of the fat
things. Opposed to Simon and
the corporation crew is the state
grange, organized labor and w. &
URen. who devised the entire leg
islative system of Oregon. The
executive committees of the
grange and the State Federation
OF Labor are not only fighting the
assembly, but they are boosting
an employers liability law and
proportional representation. the
latter being designed to give mi
nority parties representation in
city councils and legislatures IN
exact proportion to their vote.
Since union labor has sided i'm
with the insurgents the big en-
pioyers and corporations of the
state have started a determined
fight for the open shop policy, and
industrial peace has tucked its
winds under its ruffIed throat and
gone into winter quarters. The
display Of this club has merely
aroused the uaion men all the
more, and the real bfe fight 81