The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-08-19
4 MOST pEnNIolous pocrn,yE,

The most pernicious doctrine In American
politics is that which seeks to lay an obliga-
tion on the party member to vote the ticket
Regardless OF It's record or possible conse-
quences That doctrine. all too prevalent in
the daya past and sttll appealet to by the
professional element In politics Is responsible
for bad government wherever 1t exists Ia the
certain cause of the corruption that Inevitably
follows where any party IL given too long
lease Of official life.
Senator owen in recent Interview per-
formed genuine service by clearly stating the
correct conception OF partisan regularity
Without attempting verbatum quotations his as-
sertion was that while the political leader IL
necessity must remain regular In his partisan
affiliations, the true and right practice OF the
party membership is TO support that party and
ticket which by declaration and candidate most
nearly meets his conscientious approval
That is sound doctrine II is right And II
is the only doctrine that prldeful men and
women viii entertain. No self-respecting man
or woman VIII pass through u primary cam
paign in which they are classed an "pro-Ger-
suans," reds" "bolsheviks" and II. w. ". ad-
vocates" then vote Tor the candidate whose
campaign managers called them such
Not man or woman who supported Senator
Gore in the recent primary can with AN atom
OF self-rospect to themselves support Ferris
whg was the beneficiary OF the awful methods
employed against them ana their candidate
That is evidont on the face Of things And vet
the men who called them all OF the defaming
names their Imagination could conjure arc now
disgpstingy seeking to eaJoo them into voting
the democratic ticket In order to be regular"
1t is that doctrine that has wrecked the pub
lie service in Oklahoma. And II !s that doc
trine that has made slaves of free men wherever
1t has been potent and enabled a conscienceiess
gang Of grafters TO gain control OF the pub
lie service and hold 1t against an outraged
citizenship that permitted itself to be divided
on election day
The time has come in Oklahoma for an
aocountng-a PUBLIC AcCouNTINGl Not
alone TO those citizens some hundred
thousand In number, who havo never voted with
alone to those citizens, some hundred
thousand citizens who have always affiliated
With the majority party ana wins stand outraged
Ia every sense aud in every instance. Their in
terests--thoir true iutercsts-are precisely the
same as their republican neighbor And yet the
perncIous doctrine, "voto her straight" all too
potentiy plead in tho past, has lined them up
election after election with the bourbon ma
chine element
Gaze on the very recent record Of so-called
democracy in Oklahoma:
The S5O0oo,000 road-bond steal nut
forward by the utular head Of the party.
The animating purpose behind that prof.
ect wac little less than a deliberate steal
and everything the state possessed in the
way or favors and appropriations was
traded for votes with which TO secure IT'S
passage, and give the invisible government
It's toll
The pardoniug orgy involving the high
est officers OF the bourbons from the gov
ernor down, to say nothing OF the pardon
ing ORGY which has been going on ever
since the present state administration as
sumed the reins of government.
The recent primary campaign against
the only official the bourbonA elected
who dared 10 be his own man. defy their
orders and vote for the common citizen
In vital matters
Upwards Of 10000 Oklahoma democrats sup
ported Gore. They stand branded today as
pro-Grrin,xHs," reds" 'bolaheyiks" trait
sra.. etc.. W their own fellow partisaus wahm