The Oskaloosa herald., 1913-02-13
DEMOCRATS AND OREGON BILL
MEASURE WILL NOT SAVE REPu5
LicAN SENATOR'S DEFEAT.
Major Lacey, Who is in Des Moines
Gives Out Interview. e-@f
Give Out Interview.

Des Moines, Feb. 1.-THE election
of a democratic senator in Iowa at
the next general election will be made
certain ythe passage of the Oregon
bill. according TO the view of Major
John f. Lacey, of Oskaloosa, who is
in the city on supreme court business,
depressed in an interview yesterday.
What many supporters of the measure
leXpect to save the republican senator
from defeat will be the very thing
that will make 1t certain, declares the
former congressman.
The Oregon plan where il has been
tried has usuaily worked out by CIV
ing the United States senator to the
minority party" said Major Lacey
yesterday. IN Oregon, where it orr
ginated, the republicans, being in an
overwhelming majority, nominated
Mr.. Cake. But the parties had an
other chance at the polls in Novem.
Der. The enemies of Cake in the re-
publican party voted for Chamberlain.
The legislature was overwhelmingly
republican, but elected Chamberlain,
the democrat, over Mr.. Cake. The
republican nominee being pledged to
stand by the majority vote in the fall
election.
In the present Oregon legislature
more than three-f0urtiTs of the mem
bers are republican, but they all
voted against the republican nominee
at the summer primaries because the
republican party divided in November
and the democrats remained solid.
So the republican state of Oregon,
which for the last few years has been
represented in the senate by demo
crat and popufist, will now have two
democratic senators. II is true that
Mr.. Bourne is classed as republican,
but he has been practically populist
! In Nevada, the republicans being
in the minority, got the senatorship
in the same way lsIal sne democrats
got ii in Oregon. Last summer Judge
Norris, OF Nebraska, was nominated
by the republicans for the senate. Al
the election in November the demo
cratic party split up and gave Norris
a majority. The legislature is demo
cratic, but has elected republican
senator. s e.
t.. 'The system is a cunningly devised
plan Ia give To the minority the con
troll of the United States senate. Mi
norities do not split; majorities do
This plan will insure the election of Il
democratic senator two years from
now unless il operates, differently in
Iowa than it has elsewhere.
Any plan which results In the de-
feat OF The majority by the minority
is not a desirable reform" continued
Major Lacey. Governor Carroll We
,toed the plan in the last legislature
and thereby saved the republican sen
ator in the present legislature. With
the split we had last year, II the Ore
gon plan of voting had been in force
in November, there would have been
no doubt OF what the result would
have been. ,-. I'D
"A system that gives the republican
state of Oregon two democratic sena
tors, the democratic state of Nevada
a republican senator, and the demo
cratic state OF Nebraska bull moose
senator, it would seem Ii is not a sys
TEN that we should adopt. There arc
lots of new things that are good anC
lots of good things that are not new
THE republican party Is moi
through yet" said Major Lacey. Al
the same time he recognized that the
division that occurred last summer is
much more serious than any which
has previously taken place He re
lferred TO Colonel Roosevelt as try
ing" to form new party. He looks
to see the republican party revived
and put in power.