The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1916-09-15
REPREHENSIBLF METHODS.

Upon the eve OF the primary election
a scurrilous broadside covering i've
pages OF a si& column newspaper, at
lacking a number of attorneys and
citizens of this judicial district, was
issued BY Judge L. X. Pendergast and
scattered broadcast over Okanogan
and Ferry counties. The effusion was
unbecoming the dignity OF the office
for which the author was running, and
il he is unsuccessful in his candidacy
he will owe defeat almost wholly and
solely to that publication. II he should
be elected his election will entail
heavy expense upon the two counties,
for neither the attorneys so unneces-
sarily maligned, nor the citizens who
came in for a share of the vilification,
can ever feel safe in having a case be-
fore his court, thus requiring the sub
stitution OF judges from other districts
to pass upon hearings before that tri-
bunal.
For reasons beyond the ken of hu-
man Imagination, and which can only
be attributed to a diseased mind, the
Judge, in his baneful onslaught upon
those he supposed were opposing his
candidacy, went out OF his way to
include the Gazette within the out
pourings of his wrath, charging this
paper with having supported Judge
Neal for office, as though it were a
crime for any other man 10 aspire to
the iudgship, or for any paper to print
la line Of commentator for the man
who had the temerity to run for the
office in opposition to the incumbent
II the same vindictive spirit animated
all men what a delightful season OF
n M a n mir ~ M lon
would engender, where It Is customary
for many candidates to announce them
selves for the same office.
But the facts as they exist do not
justify the remarkable attitude the
Judge saw fit to take relative to the
position the Gazette maintained in this
judicial contest. The files of the Ga
zette are open 10 any man who wishes
to investigate, and We challenge the
closest scrutiny TO disclose wherein
the paper has directly or indirectly
published line in Displacement Of
Judge Pendergast during the campaign
leading up to the primary election, or
| where this paper has extended Judge
Neal any further support than the an
lnouncement Of his candidacy, cour-
'tesy it extended to about every candi-
date on the tickets The reason why we
RETAINED from taking any active part
| IN the judicial contest should be obvi-
Gus to any reasonable man. The office
| Ia not a partisan one, the one office
that should be removed from politics
and mudslinging, and for which no
undue influence should be exercised
in securing support for candidates.
In connection with his reference to
the Gazette, Judge Pendergast went
out Of his way to dig up some cores
pondence between the publishers OF
this paper and one J. w. Faulkner,
that grew out OF local episode that
occurred over three years ago, (al-
though the Judge made 1t appear as
though recent occurrance by dating
one Of the letters 1876 an episode
that had been forgotten, and which had
no bearing even remotely upon the
judgship controversy. From the fact
that the Judge had access to the pri-
vate correspondence OF Mr.. Faulkner
1T Is presumed that Mr. Faulkner was
a collaboration in the compilation OF
the vicious production, or at least a
willing tool.
The item out of which this CORES
lpcndence grew contained not one word
against the enforcement OF the law, but
the method by which the law was en-
| forced. Mr.. Faulkner Is too narrow
between the eyes to distinguish the
difference. hence he proceeds to throw
| a fit. The Gazette editor has published
papers over a period Of almost il not
quite so years, and at all times has he
stood for law and order, denouncing
crime and Loyalty supporting authori-
| ties in the suppression of wrong doing.
This is hardly necessary to mention
with a record in the newspaper bust
ness in the territory and state of
Washington extending almost "a years.
| Occasionally a narrow, bigoted, pin
head gets into office and becomes a
prosecutor far more contemplate in
his methods than the most hardened
criminal, without heart and without
common sense, and when such an eg-
gregious ass exposes his propensities
he has a criticism coming
The intimation that we feared that
| Mr. Faulkner might become a candi-
date for the iudgship, on account OF a
letter we never saw until It appeared
in this broadside, is merely the vapor-
| ings of an insane imagination Mr..
Faulkner as Judge would be looked up
lon as stupendous Joke and If we have