Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-02-19
THE SENATE'S MACHINE.

The upper house of the present Legislature must pass
into history as the most perfectly controlled corporation
machine that ever assembled In Oregon IL mas Deen
Subservien in every respect to the poWerIu loDDy HALL
tanned by the railroads and public service corporations he
work of this gang of parasites standing out panes IN the
defeat of the hydroeecrc BILL and the passage OF senate
bill No. 58 prohibiting municipalities from installing ana
maintaining public utilities without tSt obtaining Ce
consent of the railroad commissioners The further TACT
that two members Of the railroad commission obbed for
this measure would suggest understanding between the
corporations and majority OF the COMMISSION as now
constituted 1t illustrates vvdy the dangers OF such
tendency as well furnishing good reason why Che
corporation should favor the bill.
The ony excuse Senate Leader Day makes to the pub
lie for the action taken is in effect that legislation IN the
interest of the public has been carried too far menacg
the investment of capital in public utilities But the MulV
nOmah representative of the special interests fails to n-
derstand the cause Of this popular unrest or else purpose
y ignores ii when he rides roughshOd over the wishes OF
the people whose votes elected him. Paid lobbyists by
the score filling the retunda of the state house during leg
satve sessions money spent like water TO deteat or pro-
mote measures affecting their relations with the puDc is
the real cause of the radical tendency which prevails
among all classes of people except the corporation mag
rates themselves. The money spent for this purpose is
wrng from the patrons of transportation light, water
and telephone companes-and the people know IT, Meh
like Senator Day can no longer fool them They want
square deal and purpose to keep up the fight on soeaed
''vested rights" until they get 1t.
The only sure way to stay the tendency toward too rad
ical legislation the free and full sway of democracy is to
give the people honest laws just alike to the individual
and the corporation Day, Thompson and men of their
ik who misrepesent the people in places of confidence
and trust are contributing more to advance socialism
than all other agencies combined Every act nmica to the
welfare of the masses crammed through this leg
isatue under the lash and spur of borssm only adds fuel
to flame which is destined to consume corporate rule
and greed and scaterits ashes to the four winds Of
heaven If the people dispar of getting what they want
from boss-rdden legislature they will abolish that body
and enact their laws by direct vote Thousands more will
vote next year to abolish the state senate than when the
question up last year. because of Day and Thompson
ct al.
Party ties and party preudces cannot be relied on to
bolster up the acts of the senate majority Gag rule and
corrupt political machine wrecked the republican organ
zaon for twelve years in Oregon and history will be re-
peated if such orgies of corporation control to be
enacted as once before corrupted the politics Of this state
Party ties are weaker than before in the history Of
the country and party prejudice has almost entirely dis
appeared The crisis which confronts government is as
grave although of different character as in the time of
Wendell Phillips, when he declared
"The man whO for party forsakes righteousness goes
down. and the armed bataions of God march over him.