The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-04-29
The G. o. P. and Triple Alliance

Either the triple alliance is ms poisonous an eienen IN
our political affairs republican leaders at the bengham
convention declared, or it is not
II IL is the republican state convention as indeed the
republican, state legislature failed miseraby In patrioue
achievement For it failed to provide the remedy when
would prevent minority controlling any state or county
election.
There IS such n remedy but il will be applied
bv any set of hypocrtes talk about patriotism and
love of country in theory but refuse to sacrifice the sgh
est atom of partisanship in actual praeuee' -
II the republican leaders sincere in their state
ents there is no higher service that could be accomplished
- ri; ,ats from patriotc standpoint than the defeat
of the triple alliance and the assurance OF majority RUE
But were the republicans sincere? 49,, IL
They adopted no plan combat the thing that they ue
nounced so utterly and bitterly. And Furthermore they
discussed only makeshft plan, the elimination con-
vention idea, which would have In pra''ee' e"'n"A''
The plan that would majority rule is nonpartisan
elections And the republican leaders know it' In non
uartisan elections there is NEVER any danger Of mi
nority party winning. There MUST De majority W CUT
We have the nonpartisan plan incur city elections Mayor
Caldwell elected by majority vote of the electors OF
Seattle not by minority minority succeeded IN f n1
Il went The final election absolutely demanded majority
and the minority party could therefore not succeed
The same would result in the state. Under the nonpart
san plan the candidates receiving the highest number
of votes would have to It off in the final election AND
the majority of the voters Of the state would decide then
not minority not handful OF convention delegates not
any caucuses not dictatorship of ANY party
But the republican party leaders would not even consider
the nonpartsan plan Ii they truly believed that the
triple alliance threatens American form Of government
hey are guilty of nothing less than treason themselves
for failing accept the remedy that is absolutely GER
tain to guarantee majority rule And il they are truly
pariotic it be assumed then. that what they said
about the triple alliance, they did not really
The failure of the republican convention to take real
action against triple aanceaction that would bring
results-means, therefore, Of two things:
Either the accusations made by republicans against
the triple alliance are false; or
The republican party is not sufficiently patriotic to
drop partsanshp in the fight against the triple alliance
The Star is wholly in sympathy with any fight upon
minority rule and The Star is just as opposed to minority
rule by republicans democrats by the triple alliance
That is why it supportswithout reservatonthe principle
of nonparsan elections the republican party In this
state sincere in opposition to minority rule 1t would
not hesitate in asking the legislature to the
legislation that would put state elections the same high
plane city elections.
What the republican convention failed to do Governor
Hart do. He call the legislature in special session
and if the legislature follows the nonpartisan election
suggestion there will then be occasion whatever for
fearing minority gang by whatever it parade
Without such law, the facts plain: With six regu
lar republican candidates and triple alliance candidate
in the republican primaries. the nomination of the triple
alliance candidate by the republican primaries not only
possible, but highly probable!
These the facts and only the republican ostrich win
bury his head in the sand and refuse to them spe
cial session Of the legislature is drastic suggesonbut
minority rule is far drastic.
Yes, yes, of corrse lno,o the IL Washington dele
gates cere instructed for Poinderter But confiden
italy, how nrany of 'em are Wood men?