The Washington herald., 1920-06-14
League Clash Giues Democratic Votes
OF Oregon to Senator Chamberlain
LW.W. Feeling Compicates Campaign

ianu, oregon, has tour times the
population of trim, little New Eng
land Portland.
The two Portlands have consid-
erable in common, bo:h baing home
cities without slums, possessed OF
the real community spirit. the
spread of great shade trees and
drifts of floral fragrance down long
romantic paths. The Oregon OFF
spring on account of its rapid
growth has had to sectionalize its
locality life. the city Deing igura-
lively divided into neignborhoods
each provided with it's own club
house or social center. The Jazz
that rattles for Rose City Park
Club is quite different from the
rhythmic quality of dance music
that permeates the halls OF Irving
ton Club. Newcomers can Select
their favorite type of community
and then start buying their homes,
Stronghold of I. w. w.
In striking contrast to the tran
JUL hearthstone atmosphere of Port
land Is the turbulent strife always
raging in the back-area logging
camps where the !. w. w. sabotage
doctrine got its flying start. 1t is
not difficClt to understand the rad
ical headway of the sawmill dis
tricts where the cool. gentle hand
of woman is absent from mans
fevered brow. There are very few
women in the lumber world. Hence
men in their free time have nothing
to do but sit around and pick flaws
in the boss and in the government.
of laws against syndicalism: in
sweeping draeret language. making
II a felony {" belong to the /. w. w.
or to advocate violence during
struggles with capital.
Essentially Oregon is a tryout
State, progressive and daring. The
initiative, referendum and recall
direct primaries, nonpartisanships.
minimum wages for women, the
eight-hour day and widows pen
sions are upon its statute books,
Pretty good for State that has
about $4,000 voters. male and
female. The influence of wom-
en- in the vote is shown in laws
making it a felony for a man to live
upon the earnings of a dissolute
woman. requiring a medical certifi-
cate for men for marriage. equal
pay for equal work for men and
women school teachers, providing
for the care of children of marrl-
ages declared void and providing
for teachers pensions.
The things we got in Oregon
that are good have come as the re-
suit of efforts of all classes, not
labor alone" said William S. U'Ren
lawyer and world famous as an au-
thor of pioneer legislation. Glass
movements get nowhere. After six
teen years of initiative, referendum
and recall we find that the news
papers, lawyers and banks have
taken the place formerly occupied
by the political boss. Although !
have generally been classified as a
lawyer for organized labor. l have
very decided views against unions
which operate a destructive pro-
gram. ] don't believe we get any
where by destruction on either
side. We have not yet invented or
applied a system whereby we can
be altogether just to one another
Il will concede that most of the
employers would like to be on good
terms with labor and pay good
wages. But the majority of en-
ployers are governed by what the
meanest Of their number will do.
They are competing for business
Men OF good instincts can only pro-
tect themselves by adjusting their
anatrs to the standards of these 9TH
er few who drive their men the
hardest and pay the least so as to
sell at the lowest prices"
Fight on "Lawyers' Soviet"
What new idea has Oregon up
her sleeve?" I asked.
The abolishment of the lawyers
soviet" replied Mr.. U'Ren. Got the
plans all drawn for IL. Goes before
the people In the form of a consti-
tutfonal amendment just as soon as
we have fashioned some minor de-
tails. The plan is to classify the
state by business occupations. Then
We will have the voters registered
according to their business occupa-
lions. Each voter will cast his pal
lot Tor his choice of a citizen in his
particular line of business. one best
quaiined, to be a legislator. We will
nave iOe members of the State legis-
iature, or one member for each 3,E0O
voters.
suppose there are $500 loggers.
Then the loggers will vote for a
logger representative. Suppose there
are 1000 farmers. Then the farm
ers Will vote for two representa-
uves. So on all through the trades
and professors Farmers wives will
be one classification, town wives
another. The white collars will he
graded. Lawyers will probably vote
along with members of some related
VOCATION, such as ministers, doctors
ana writer's. As Oregon is now con-
sttuted We would have about
eiehty-nve members elected by full
quotas. The fifteen members left
over would be given to those classes
which have the nearest to $500
votes each until they are all ss-
signed"
What DO you call that program"
l asked.
Mr.. u'Ren replied: "The peoples
power legislation. II differs maie-
rally from the Russian Soviet plan
In that everybody votes. nonpro-
ducers as we'll as producers. In