The Washington times., 1912-03-25
PUTTING THE PEOPLE ON TRIAL.

Senator Jonathan Bourne of Oregon is a candi-
date for denomination and reelection this year under
the Oregon direct nomination and election system.
He must first be nominated at the Statewide primary
of his party; then his name, together with that of
the opposition partys nominee, will go the bal
lot at the November election. The Legislature is in
effect instructed to choose the Senator who carries
this election.
For four years Senator Bourne has been the
foremost Senatorial advocate of restoring the Gov
to the control of the people. That he means
what he says; that he wants the people to make their
selections, is proved by the course he is taking
The Senator will not 60 back to Oregon during
the campaign. He will spend no money and make
no appeals from the hustngs Here is what he
will do:
Oregons law provides for issuance by the State
of publicity pamphlet" which must be officially
sent to every voter In this pamphlet every candidate
may publish his own statement of his record and
reasons for seeking election.
Senator Bourne will take four pages in this
pamphlet at 500 page-the extreme space the law
alIows-and state his case. On that he will stand
The people must do the rest. In letter to a news
paper, the Senator describes how he will present
his claim to the State He says in part:
insist that the people OF Oregon now on trial.
not I; that have kept every pledge made in my first
campaign; that l have taken leading part in the
oregon system
and for the extension of these laws other States
that instead going back to State as soon as Con-
adjourns have remained at the National CAPITAL
working my official duties in the interest of the
nation and my State that have secured the best COM
mittee assignments held by an Oregon Senator;
that conjunction with other members deega
ton secured for Oregon the largest appropria-
tons had and this without sacrificing any
of the principles upon which elected that orig
mated the Presidential primary idea and secured it's
adoption in Oregon, since which time it has copied
in several States and is the chief issue in the ma
tonal campaign believe that inside of ten years
every State will adopt this principle and thereby de-
stroy the possibility of any President renomnatng him
self or selecting his successor through patronage
BY reason of the work thus outlined ! have more
than repaid my obligation the people of Oregon and
they now owe me than them; in view of my
record and my position in the fight popular
ment my defeat for denomination would be heralded
through the country victory for the opponents of
popular government therefore insist that the people
OF Oregon rather than myself, trial. and it
Ia up to them demonstrate by their votes whether
they are intelligent enough to recognize appreca-
tive enough to commend faithful public service.
On the strength Of some observation of the
present-day temper of the people of Oregon but
tressed by an optimistic notion that the people in
general can be trusted to use sense when the case
is squarey presented to them guess that Senator
Bourne will be renominated and reelected on that
platform by majority that will make that sort of
politics look awfully desirable in the near future.