The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1912-10-04
A POLITICAL FROST.

Gus year. The first heat of the cam
paign has been run, and all the elimi-
nations have been made for the final
DASH Twice the people, or rather
that small proportion of the people
who seem to care, have had an OPP
pOrtunity to do things, and they did 1t
with a ruthless disregard of the feel
ings of many aspirants. First came
the third term primary held on the 18th
when the followers of that party had
| chance to express their preference as
among the many ambitious gentlemen
who wanted the several nominations
That primary was notable for two
things. First, the tremendous indif-
| ference of the people as to who should
represent the third term party in the
| finals, and, second, the remarkably
small calibre and low character of
practically all of the nominees on the
third term state ticket.
The vote in the sO-called soapbox
primaries was so light as to make the
party appear ludicrOus, and it was
particularly disappointing to the lead
ers of the party in view of the prepar-
| atiOns made to get out big vote.
ROosevelt's trip to the state was timed
so as to arouse interest in his person
al ambitions, and his appearance in
Seattle was staged simultaneously with
the third term convention in the hopes
of drawing big crowd of delegates.
All this proved of no avail, however,
and even the most OptOmistic of the
ROOsevelters are chagrined and dis
pirited by the showing made.
The heaviest blow to the hopes of
the new party in this state is in the
success of Sheriff Bob Hodge, who
beat out all the respectable candidates
in the race for the nomination for
governor. Hodge is simply an impos-
sibility. and his party associates know
1t. He is an eX-prize-fghter of. the
cheapest kind. whose chief claim to
glory before he became sheriff of King
county was the appearance of his
picture showing him dressed in his
fighting toys in the Police Gazette.
The Scripps-McRea papers of the state
picked him up as their candidate be-
cause he Is a plant tool who is will
ing to lend himself to their evil pur-
poses. He made his campaign on a
platform that demands abolition of the
national guard and personal promises
of immunity from interference by the
state to all |. w. w. agitatOrs and the
like in the prosecution of their design
to wreck the government He hasn't
single qualification for the office of
governor, and there isn't daily paper
in the state, either Roosevelt or anti
Roosevelt but that knows this is a
fact. He is load that the new party
simply cannot carry, and his nominal
ton spells defeat to the whole ticket.
The ticket, however, deserves defeat
regardless of Hodge, for there is only
one man of ability on it, and that is
Falconer, and he is heartily ashamed
OF the company he is in. He has no
liking or regard for his running mates
and is thoroughly Disguised with the
part he has played, himself
The result of the third term pri-
mary and convention were not only
disappointing to the organizers of the
party, but they brought sorrow and
humiliation to several ambitious poli-
tlcians who have been powers in them
selves and others who had prospects
of becoming leaders in this state if
they had remained within the ranks
OF the republican party. Several gen
tlemen of real ability, who aspired to
places of distinction and leadership
In this state, were eliminated for ali
time from political consideration by
their rash bolt into the new partv
Notable among them are, Senator w
II. Paulhamus, of Puyallup, Nelson w.
Durham, of Spokane, Gordon C. Cor
bailey, also of Spokane, and Geo. Fl.
Walker, of Seattle.
The predicament of these gentlemen
is pathetically humorous. Paulhamus
Is given the credit, and doubtless
rightly, of being largely responsible
Tor putting the third term ticket in
the field in this state He did it with
the deliberate purpose of getting him
self named as the party's candidate
Tor governor. He had vanity enough
10 believe that all that was necessary
LOT him to do was to announce his
Willingness to accept the nomination
ana the prize would be handed to him
by an admiring populace. But alas
ior the frailties and imperfections of
humanity, especially at the polls. The
people, or rather that small fraction
OF them who were interested in the
doings OF the third party, failed to
recognize the superior merit and es
peciai claims of the Puyallup senator.
Inc failure to secure the coveted nom
NATION might not have been so exas-
perating had it gone to any other of
his rivals than the successful Rob
Hodge, but to name the unlettered
sheriff of unsavory past was a worse
blow than the perildy of Brutus. Good
bye Paul, we hate to lose you but the
people must rule.
Then there is the fearful case of
Nels Durham, he of the high brow and
conspicuous ethical and moral deyel-
opment. Durham campaigned for
months, almost year, in fact. He
mixed with the people everywhere on
every conceivable occasion. He wrote
countless boosts of the various local
tiles in his district and addressed
numberless pioneer gatherings. He
told OF his faith in the state and the
people of the state and never tired of
vowing fidelity to my policies" He
has been a resident of the state since
its youth and editor of one of the
biggest dailies of the northwest for
many years. His opponent was a new
resident, who had been here scarcely
long enough to qualify as candidate;
man of unknown character and quail
iflcatiOQS In SOita IF oil fbis ,.oou