The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1918-09-07
PRIMARIES ARE
HELD TUESDAY
War Should Not Prevent
Citizens Casting Votes at
Primary Election

been evidenced IN TINS county. war
work, the small salaries paid the coun-
ty officials, and the actual value of
the salary as compared with the pur-
chasing power of money in former
years, have all conspired to make
political desires secondary to other
activities. Yet in spite of these
things, it can be truthfully said that
Stevens county has an excellent line
up for county officials for next year
with much better personnel seek
ing office than the people have any
right to expect under present condi-
tions.
There will be but two tickets in the
field this year, the socialists not be-
ing represented on the ballot. Candi-
dates will appear for all offices on
the republican primary ticket. Demo-
Gratis made no primary filings for
representative, treasurer, auditor, en-
gineer, school superintendent, but will
nominate their candidates for these
offices at the primary election by
writing in the names desired.
There are no contests in the demo-
cratic primary in this county. On
the republican ticket, there are four
contests-two candidates appearing
for commissioner in the second dis
trict, and four in the third, two can
didates for school superintendent and
two for county attorney.
Very little campaigning has been
done by any of the candidates, and
it seems probable that little will be
done for election. The departure of
more than 1900 voters for the war,
together with the withdrawal of many
more voters from the county who have
gone to the shipyards, etc., will make
very light primary vote.
Two years ago Stevens county was
something over 200 republican. Based
on the 1916 vote, therefore, with the
loss of =. SO many voters this county
will not be more than 100 republican
this year. But the socialists, hav-
ing no ticket of their own, and desir-
ing in many cases to favor some par
ticular candidate, will have to call for
either democratic or republican bal
lot at the primary, and as consider
ably more than half of the socialists
were recruited from the democratic
party, the democratic ticket may be
the big one this year.
The congressional campaign has
been an interesting one, and will con-
tinue to be. V. T. Tustin is contest
ing the democratic nomination with
Congressman c. C. Dill, and Judge
j. Stanley Webster and Frank M.
Goodwin are fighting for the repub-
lican nomination. All sorts of ar
guments are being used in the con-
gressional campaign, and voters will
need to keep their wits about them
to segregate the legitimate issues
from the mass of misinformation
which has been disseminated on the
subject.
There seems to be but little doubt
but that Dill and Webster will be the
nominees. Goodwin, who was a for
mer leader among the progressive
faction, is being relegated by repub-
lican leaders in favor of Webster, and
although Goodwin retains the sup
port of a considerable number of the
real progressives of years ago, it is
believed that his vote will be outnum-
bered by the combined stand-pat and
returned-to-the-fold progressive vote.
Tustin is making his campaign
against Dill on the basis of Dill's
failure to vote for war, claiming that
Dill is not sufficiently patriotic to
represent this district in congress.
But as yet no hint has come from the
administration or the democratic con-
gressional leaders that Dill is insult
able, and on the contrary one of the
officers of the democratic national
committee in Washington, d. c., has
written that the committee will be
glad to do anything it can to promote
the reelection Of Dill to congress, so it
is claimed that democrats will not be
much influenced by the "holier than
thou" argument, nor by the disap-
proved method Of waving the flag
and crying traitor in order to gain
personal advancement in political
lines.
To Select Committeeman
Voters should not forget that the
state law provides for the selection of
precinct committeeman at the pri-
mary election, and that each precinct
should name representative on the
county central committee for each po-
litical party. This committee will
organize the second Saturday after
primary, select chairman and Sec
retary, and constitute the party ma
chinery for the next two years.