Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-12-04

Portland, Ore. Dec. 4.-The recent
election of George +. Chamberlain of
Oregon to his second term as United
States senator by a plurality OF ap-
proximateIy $4,000 votes in a state
that otherwise went Overwhelmingly
republican was a remarkable personal
compliment TO a man who in thirty
seven years, always in the minority
party. never has been defeated for
Office.
81 doff my hat to you as the great
unlocked and unlickable." congratulate
ed Charles B. Moores, republican state
chairman, after the returns were in.
Mr.. Moores couldn't have expressed 1t
more to the point.
Chamberlain came to Oregon from
Mississippi IS years ago. He had been
in the state just one year when he
got his first office. Somebody appoint
ed him deputy county clerk of Linn
county. Since then he has been in one
office or running for a higher one al
most continually. This in the face of
the most bitter opposition from the
party in power. Oregon 81 years ago
was bedrock, hard crusted. ingrained
republican. II has remained republi-
can, nominally at least though with
sundry and various indentations in
the crust occasioned by Chamberlain
and his imitators, to the present day.
So when young Chamberlain in 1850,
at the age of 20, ran on the democratic
ticket for the legislature he was re-
garded as a sort of "pesky young fool"
who didn't know better. 1t was the
other way round. Chamberlain knew
exactly what he was doing, but his OPP
ponents didn't know Chamberlain. His
election TO the legislature was only the
beginning of an unbroken series of po-
litical victories.
In 1854 he ran for district attorney
of Marion, Linn, Polk, Yamhill and
TiIlamock counties. He was elected.
After serving out his term he attempt
ed to retire to the practice of law. He
had been retired about long enough to
subscribe to a few legal periodicals
when he was called back into politics
by appointment from the governor TO
fill an unexpired term as state attor-
ney general.
At the succeeding election he be-
came the democratic candidate for the
same office-and was elected. Soon
thereafter he removed to Portland
metropolis of the state, and when his
term as attorney general expired,
promptly ran for district attorney OF
Multnomah county. Again he was
elected.
BY this time democrats of the state
had begun TO look to Chamberlain as
Moses and republican leaders were
correspondingly harrassed in spirit
So when in 1902 the democrats nomin-
ated him for governor herculean eff
forts were put forth to down him.
Chamberlain won handily. More
over he repeated in 1906, being re-
elected by a still heftier vote
At about this period the movement
in Oregon for popular cleo
ton of United States senators had be
come a leading political issue. Cham
berlain, the unlocked. entered the fight
at the election OF 1908 as democratic
candidate for United States senator.
II was a mighty tight squeeze, his !
final plurality being around 300 votes. !
but he made it.
This year It seemed for a time that
Senator Chamberlain might be going |
to the well just once too often. He
remained at Washington until Just be- |
fore congress adjourned. Arriving in |
Oregon barely two weeks before cleo |
ton, he made a whirlwind campaign |
through the state on a Woodrow VII |
son platform. The returns were a ter
rible Jolt to republican hopes.