Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1911-07-21
Letter to Progressive Republicans

candidacy for the republican nomina.
ton for governor and issued the fol.
lowing open letter to the progressive
republicans of the state:
As a thorough discussion NV our
entire membership during period
OF several months will be better than
a discussion by a few delegates dur
ing a single afternoon, / propose for
your consideration a plan of cam
paign which has been unanimously
endorsed by the Washington State
Grange, by the Washington Tax Re-
form League, by the State Fedora
ton of Labor, by many minor reform
bodies, and by many leading progress
sive republicans. Whether adopted
or not, the discussion of this plan
VIII do good. | expect to have a
letter in each Sunday issue of the
American-Reville for four or five
weeks.
| suggest that, so far as state is
sues be concerned, the sole test of
membership in the Washington Pro-
gressiye Republican League be this:
Il will support only such legislative
candidates as shall pledge themsel-
yes to vote to submit any constitu-
tional amendment petitioned for by
$4,000 voters
Submission" of needed constitu-
tional amendments can be secured
only by our electing sixteen of the
twenty-one new senators. If we lose
six of the twenty-one, we will lack
the necessary two-thirds. This
handicap should make us careful
1t must be distinctly understood that
what we need is not public sent;-
ment, but senatorial votes; and to
gain them all progressiyes must I'M
lite. What better basis for such
union than to demand majority rule
through submission?
Instead of the tumble of unrelated
issues in the usual party platform, l
suggest that two progressive republi-
cans declare for majority rule
through a direct vote on each sep
arate issue; thus permitting each
measure to be approved or rejected
on its merits.
Where two or more legitimate can
didates sign our pledge, in deciding
which to support we will, of course
consider character, ability, avail
ability, etc. My proposal is merely
that no legislative candidate will be
considered by us until he has pledg
ed himself to majority rule through
the submission of any constitutional
petitioned for by 5000
voters. This pledge to submit"
seems to draw the line precisely
where it should be drawn; for no
progressive can fairly ask for more
than a separate vote on his pet meas
ure, and, on the other hand, no pro-
gressive should be satisfied with less
than separate vote on each issue.
If we include one economic or moral
reform, we must give a good reason
for not including another-and an
other-and another Thus we will
be creating the very evil against
which the progressive republicans
movement is a protest. tumble of
unrelated measures which prevents
separate vote on each issue We
progressiyes do not set ourselves up
as guardians of the people. We
merely unite to secure majority rule
by means of submission unite
to secure a direct and separate vote
on each measure, on its individual
merits.
Although tax reform is a burning
issue west of the Cascades, it at
tracts little attention in the south
east quarter of the state. Tax re-
form cannot be accomplished by the
legislature, as it requires a cOnsti-
tutional amendment. All the legis-
lature can do is to submit an am end
ment What, then, is to be gained
by including in our platform some
specific tax reform program? If we
include it in our platform, we will
be compelled to explain it where
voters care little about it, and to de.
fend it against continual misrepre
sentation. Why should we compel
our senatorial candidates In Whit.
man county to explain and defend a
definite proposition in which his
constituents have little interest? II
the senatorial candidate in Whitman
county will pledge himself to submit
any constitutional amendment peti.
toned for by $1,000 voters-what
more can the most ardent tax re-
former ask? Whitman county Vot-
ers are interested in freight rates, IN
the price of grain sacks and in
squirrels. In Whatcom county tax