The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-08-29
PARTY CHAIRMEN
AND BRIDGES
Decapitate Lafayette and
Substitute Cam
Campbell.
TOLD TO SING SMALL
Reminds of Case of Bridge
Paid for That Had Never
Even Been Built.

OKLAHOMA CITY. Aug. 2s.-The
action Of the triumphant leaders OF
the democratic senatorial faction de-
oapitating democratic state chairman
Ben +. Lafayette and SUBSTITUTING
Cam Campbell as head OF the demo-
cratic campaign committee, marks
a new epoch in democratic machine
politics. The action was all the more
surprising when II Is recalled that
LAFAYETTE was one of the original
eight who met in a Lee-Huckins
hotel room and preferred Mr.. Ferris
the democratic senatorial nomina-
ton.
In fact the democratic state chair
man was so obligingly for Congress-
man Ferris that the original call to
arms CARED the printed stationery
OF the democratic state committee
II was only after powerful frlends
OF Senator Gore had threatened 10
disrupt the entire state political ma
chinery, that state chairman LataN-
e,te desisted and promised not to
speak so loudly for the candidate ne
had helped to select. and for which
the entire democratic state organiza-
tion was beng used to ratfy that
celection.
But there Is no need OF surprise. II
will be recalled that in 1919 when
the democrats nominated Postmaster
Claude Weaver of Oklahoma City TO
succeed the late Congressman Joe
Thompson. Lafayette took command
Of the democratic committee and
innmediatelv announced Weaver as
an urwavering supporter or Presl-
dent wilson's league OF nations as
brought back in a trunk from Ner-
eailles. and read the fellows who DID
not subscribe thereto out OF the
democratic party, with the admon-
ishment to trot straight to the land
ruled by Satan.
Thev went away from the party,
hut stopped long enough to vote Tor
Judge j. w. Harreld for congress
from the fifth district.
Even this did not convince Chair
man Lafayette that the league OF
nations had been jolted in the sec
ond heaviest democratic district or
the state, and Immediately following
the August primary, Lafayette an
nounced the race would be made on
a straight Wilson program. He
thought so, and ne was probably
right, but not II the democratic
state machine can avoid 1t.
Congressman Ferris announced his
candidacy with the statement that he
started with Wilson and would fol-
low him to the end The end evil
IDENTIFY came little sooner than the
Ferris managers had intended, for
they took immediate steps to cover
up" The candidates held meet
ing and elected Cam Campbell titu-
lar head of the campaign committee,
the same titular position he held
when Ferris was a candidate in the
primary.
John williams, really pro-Gore,
but who had been employed In Fer
ris primary headquarters, is the real
head, but former Chief Justice Tom
owen, one Of the real Gore primary
leaders, was made vice chairman,
the honor requiring him to make a
speech in support Of the democratic
ticket. This also carried with 1t the
promise OF the statehouse machine
TO make owen governor in 1922.
Mr.. Ferris cooled the statehouse
machine soup by declaring, when
the democratic committee ratified
the selection OF the committee as
made by the candidates, that he en-
tered and closed the campaign on
the league OF nations iscue-al-
though during the campaign Jimmy
Cox captured the Frisco convention
and his cohorts made splendid ef-
fort TO straddle the very question
itself.
1t is fortunate for Oklahomans
who are not so blindly partisan they
would follow a name and forget an
issue, that this league OF nations is
sue is so clearly outlined, Harreld, al
most ten months before his party
met in national convention, made a
race for congress and carried one of
the heaviest democratic districts
west of the Mississippi river. He
stood out for Americanism and chal-
lenged the respect of the thinking
people Of his district. At the repub-
lican national convention his party's
platform indorsed the bold stand he
had taken months before.
Ferris announced for the senate
before Harreld announced for con-
gress and declared boldly for the
league of nations. He still stands
for II, If he stands for anything.
The clearly outlined issue gives the
intelligent voter an opportunity TO
decide whether a champion OF
vital issue is more deserving to rep
resent a great commonwealth in the
highest legislative body Of the world.
or whether that representative
should be one who, listening for
public opinion, announces himself
and then tried to run for cover when
he ascertains that opinion is con-
trary to his original announcement,
In it's efforts to decapitate or
eliminate its state chairman. the
democratic state machine followed
the Great Pushmataha precedent"
That precedent was made even this