The Daily journal., April 19, 1902, Image 2

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Js&itortal flage of tbe Journal.
AN INDEPENDENT DAILY
PAPER FOR THE PEOPLE.
DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOP
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THE OREGONIAN'S CONSISTENCY.
In a leader this week on Oregon Kepublicnn poli
ties in Multnomah county Air, Scott writes: "That
while All'. Simon hiiiiHelf is absent, his immediate ad
herents nre forming a fusion ticket, whose object is
the defeat of the Mcpublicun nominees for the legis
lature, and, incidentally of the .Republican nominee
for governor."
Will Air. Scott plainly answer this questien: Is
not what you accuse Simon of doing exactly what the
faction you are training with DID DO two years ago,
and DID DEI-MOAT the Uepublicnn ticket in Multno
mah county? Who has changed front and made a
new alignment, Scott or Simon?
Again Air. Scott says: "They (Hie Republican
parly will not be inclined to favor the use of federal
patronage to strengthen the hands of a man who is
lighting the Kepublicnn ticket." Then why did the
bolters of two years ago, and this year, have all the
federal olllee-holders on their side, and now make
Postmaster Oroasmnn's deputy, .Tack Alal thews, their
state chairman, with Collector Patterson and every
federal office-holder in Oregon the main push, and the
whole thing? It is very consistent to charge Air.
Simon with doing exactly what the Scott-Fulton fac
Hon are doing.
In place of his daily editorial eluogizing Hie fac
tion he now runs with, a few years age Air. Scott was
daily writing editorials denouncing the faction. Here
are 'extracts from his editorials of June, IN08: "The
Alitchell-Hepublicnn ticket stands only for Alitehell. It
does not stand for Hie principles and purposes of the
Itepublicun party. It is a desperate combina
tion, without scruple or principle." All the leaders of
that unscrupulous combination are today the leaders,
and some of them nominees, of Hie faction, Air. Scot I
eulogizes as the only sound Republicans.
Jn the same editorial of J8.I8 he says: "The chief
strength of their machine lies in their common and
joint ability to work up a great vote among the irre
sponsible, vicious, semi-criminal and criminal classes.
The effort is to makemajorlties enough intheprecinets
of vile resort in Hie city to overcome the votes of repu
table citizens in other parts." The man who was able
to handle the above elements is now made Uepublicun
state chairman, and Scott, with his assistance, was
able to dictate the nomination for governor.
In Hie same paper, a few years ago, is this item :
"Tilts chief spokesmen of the Mitchell parly are W. T.
Hume and Dan ). Alalarkey. These men are that
party's orators and oracles. They are lis men of judg
ment and character. What must the parly be whose
leaders are Hume and Alalarkey? What, asks Pope,
must the priest be where the monkey Is a god? What
must the parly be whose heads are Hume and Ala
larkey?" It will be recalled that Hume was the nomi
nee against Simon, and Alalarkey Is now on the ticket
Hint Scott is supporting. Scott is not only making a
monkey of himself in this campaign, but is trying to
siminiiize and gorilluize the whole Republican parly
by making gods of men like Alatthews and Alalarkey?
Air. Scott's somersaults and inconsistencies have
become the most laughable, and at I be same time the
most serious phase of Oregon politics. The faction he
was with until a few months ago, as well as the rest of
the Republican party, and all other parlies, must hold
such performances in supreme contempt. They must
behold with horror what such an inversion of the very
womb of Oregon Republicanism must lead lo.
All he condemned and denounced as unsound and
dangerous to the public welfare for many years, with
great ability and perfect consistency, he now eulogizes
as safe andsound Republicanism, mid wants to put it
into power in every department of our public affairs.
He thus stands self-convicted as a false mentor, and
seeks to make his readers swallow all that he himself
has bolted to get in with what be conceives to be the
popular political swim, and for his own self-aggrandizement
tramples under foot the very men who have
fought his battles and saved him from the pernicious
purposes of those he has now got into bed with.
Ills character is best illustrated in bis editorial
utterance the day after Coventor (Jeer vetoed the
Portland charier, when he said thai veto had saved the
taxpayers of Multnomah county from the conse
quences of their own folly. Yet for that veto, en
dorsed ly the Oregonlau, Scott joins hands with a fac
tion ho has always denounced to freeze (Inventor (leer
out of a Republican state convention. Consistency,
thy name Is (nit) Harvey Scott.
CITIZENS' MOVEMENT IN CLACKAMAS
COUNTY.
With the highest county tax in the slate,, with a
debt rapidly mounting up into the hundreds of thou
sands, with current expenses nearly double what it Is
in Alarlon county, the Citizens' ticket should win.
While Senator Porlor, the Republican editor ami
pace-maker for Ceo. O, Mrowuell, has dropped out of
politics since he was defeated for state printer,
Mrowuell is making the light of his life to be returned.
While Mrowuell is not responsible for all the bad
work done by the Clackamas politicians, and is the
champion of some good laws, his whole Intluonec is
cast on the side of the grafters and works evil at
wholesale. Mrowuell prefers the chairmanship of
railroads to any olllce on earth.
The opposition parties have all laid down ami put
up a Citizens' ticket, and their convention was one of
the largest ever held In Clackamas county. It was
composed of Democrats, Populists and Republicans,
ami represented every recalcitrant element In the
county. A full county ticket was nominated, and will
be known as the Citizens' ticket. It is the outcome of
a movement to fuse all elements dissutislied with Re
publican rule and Senator Mrowuell.
The Democrats were the leaders in the fusion
movement, and have the largest following, but they
did not recehe the majority of the offices. The head
of the ticket, Gcorgo W. Oraee, is a business man of
Oregon City, who was elected sheriff six years ago in
the Populist landslide. He i a good man. and has a
wido acquaintance all over the county, that almost
ensures his election. He is a brother of ex-Reprosentn-tivo
Grace, of Maker county.
Elmur Dixon, who was nominated for county
jmlgo, was twice eluded county clerk as a Populist,
and is nt "present n deputy in the clerk's office. County
01c.rU 15. 'II. Cooper was renominated. Ho is a Popu
list, as is also Treasurer A. Luolling, who received a
renominntlon.
llupresentutlvo UHbort 1 Hwlgos, who two years
ago defeated Charles Toole for election to the state
legislature, was a candidate for the nomination of
State senator against Air. Grace. He received 10S
votes and Grace got 1(17. Hedges was then given a
place on the representative ticket, which was nomi
nated by acclamation. The other two legislative can
didates, 0 .W. Ensthani ami Charles F. (Mark, are
Republicans.
MENEFITS OF DIRECT LEGISLATION.
In Oregon the people will have an opportunity to
vote on the direct legislation amendment to the consti
tution, allowing the people an opportunity to adopt or
reject the initiative and referendum. This proposed
innovation is wry simple, giving the legislature power
to refer any law to the people, to take effect only if it
is approved by a majority vote. It also leaves with the
legislature power to declare that a law for the immedi
ate pieservation of the public peace, health and safety
shall take effect the day it is passed. This would in
clude the general appropriation bill, salaries of public
o Dicers, and similar fixed charge- of government. Any
other law, including practically all special appropria
tions, must be referred to the people, when it is de
manded by five per cent, of the legal voters (which
would be about 4500 signers in Oregon), if the peti
tion is filed within ninety days after the last day of
the legislature. A peiitiou for the referendum cannot
1hv for more than one law. A separate petition is nec
essary for each law on which a vote of the people is
demanded.
Any proposed law must be submitted to the peo
ple independent of the legislature and the governor, if
it ispetitioned for by eight percent of thevoters, which
won hi require about 7000 signatures in Oregon. This
pel il ion must be filed with the secretary of slate not
less than four months before the general elect ion ai
which it is to be voted on. This is the initiative.
Oregon is thus a long step in advance of many
other states in the Ciiion by having reached the stage
when the people can vote on this important question,
.4iiid there is good reason to believe that the amend
ment will carry. The Capital News favors the direct
mode of legislation, because it brings the government
down to the people, and takes it out of the hands of
the tricksters and schemers. Mig, useless appropria
tions by a corupt legislature and vicious laws enacted
contrary to the wishes of the people would be abol
ished b.V the supreme mandate of the ballot-box, under
the provisions of the referendum, and we would have
the purest of democracies after the fashion of the New
England township plan more (ban anything else. The
Initiative we do not believe is so important in any re
spect as the referendum, but there are advantages to
be derived from it that are well worthy of considera
tion. As one advocate says:
"The principal use of the Initiative is lo allow a
hearing before the people to the agitators and advo
cates of new ideas in government, and thus do away
wilh the excuse for new political parties. II is a cheap
and convenient method for testing the popularity ami
growth of alleged reforms. The expense to the public
treasury, if the amendment is adopted, will be but a
trifle iuily the cost of fTritning the questions on the
ollleial ballots. No special election can be had unless
ordered by the legislature. The whole expense of get
ling ii The pel il ion falls on the signers, the public
treasury pays none of it."
We sincerely hope that Idaho's next legislature
will consider this matter of direct legislation and fake
the tlrsl step tending towards its submission to the
people for approval or rejection. The worst act of
the last session was that in which enough Democrats
joined with the Republicans lo defeat the pending bill
looking to this consummation. In Oregon every polit
ical party before the people has endowed the idea of
submitting the question to a popular vote,, and the
opoositlon in Idaho's legislature was uncalled for and
without a sensible excuse. Molse, Idaho, Capital
News.
WHICH IS SIMON'S GREATEST FACLT?
I ''or Hit1 sake of getting at the matter in a manner
that the people can understand, The Journal desires
to ask the Oregonlau to point out two things. First,
when' has Simon gone greatly wrong In his support
of or opposition to public measures coming before the
Senate since he has been a member of that body? That
will have something to do with determining whether
he is a safe public servant. Secondly, in what manner
is he any worse as a political manipulator in local pol
itics than the Oregonlau has on a thousand diff
erent occasions asserted every member of the present
"Federal Mrlgade" to be, Including ".lack" Alathews
and Ike Patterson. Old, and even comparatively new
tiles of tlie Oregonlau make "mighty interest in'
leadin' " as to the political corruption which has been
salil to be the daily subsistence of tho.se with whom
Harvey at present consorts with the greatest pleasure.
There Is probably not in the entire slate a single old
time reader and admirer of the Oregonian who has not
had his esteem for that paper great 1, lowered by its
abject Hop, which has made It the intimate associate of
the very men whom il has so unmercifully roasted for
years as the rounders in local politics of the "criminal
and seutl-crlutlnal classes" for corrupt and Illegal
purposes.
Great paper, the Oregonian, in the.se latter days.
WILL1AAISON FOR CONGRESS.
"Newt" Williamson, as he is called at his home in
Eastern Oregon, Is purely a man of the people. Ills
residence is at Priueville, and he has for a number of
years been engaged in the sheep business and in stock
raising. To see him in his home town or on his winch
one would never take the new congressional nominee
for a political aspirant. In the town he mingles with
the "boys," being often seen wilh groups of them on
tite street corners, and Is the most common looking
one of them all In dress. He generally wears a pair
of overalls and a broad-rimmed hat of the sombrero
pattern, and has a natural kind word for every one he
meets. He Is not of the stripe who go in this attire for
effect, hut it is natural. Mr. Williamson has spent his
life that way, and he thinks nothing of meeting promi
nent men who visit Priueville in his overalls. On his
winch it is the same way. He can la.s.so a broncho or
shear or butcher a sheep as quickly as anj employe on
his ranch, and he is not backward in taking hold when
it comes to manual labor of any kind. Still, when oue
looks into the eyes of J. N. Williamson and seus the
spark of intellect thorn, together with a classic clown
Bhavon fneo and a vuley uutunilb' uloqiiuut mul yluH
lug, ho setw in the man mow) than a politician. He 1$
an American statesman. Astorinu.
DEVOLUTION NEEDED IN THE STATE PRINT
ING OFFICE.
Tin: Jotknai, has printed facts from the records
to show what a great graft the state printing oflice has
become on the people of the state. These facts from
the records, as published over and over, and scattered
all over the stale for the past six mouths, have never
been called in question, as to the law or the facts as
printed in detail.
There are thousands of people in the slate who
think the state owns the state printing plant, and thai
the people elect and own the state printer. Mat that
is not the case. The stale printing plant is owned by
ex-Slate Printer F. C. Maker, who owns all the presses
and the type, and leases the same lo whoever is elected
stale printer on any terms thev can agree upon. These
rentals have paid as high as 2 per cent., and it is esti
mated by some in a position to know tliui out of the
total appropriations for the state printing olllce for
four years the owner of the plant has received $30,000
to $10,000. We do not slate this as a fact, but it is
slated by persons in a position to know.
As only whitewashing investigations have been
conducted by the legislafuie for the past twenty years
of the state printing and other departments" of the
state house, the real facts may never be known. The
gieat fuel is that the plant belongs not to the state nor
lo the stale printer, bit to a politician who is inter
ested in swelling the graft. This graft should be
broken and not continued for the four years.
Without saying a word against the Republican
nominee, Air. Whitney, of Albany, the question can
fairly be asked what are the chances of breaking the
state printing graft, if he is elected. Republicans and
Democrats have introduced bills into the legislature
for the past ten years to change the laws, but sill ef
forts have failed. An attempt was made in the last
legislature to pass a bill regulating the compensation
of the printer, and reducing the enormous fees and
piollls of the olllce, Mat Republican candidates for
pi inter interfered, killed the hill and got a constitu
tional amendment passed, knowing that such amend
ments are all rejected by the people. So all ell'orts
have failed to retrench in this oflice, while a state
printing lobby works openly in nearly every session
lo swell the volume of work done al state expense.
Air. Whitney, if elected, will not be able lo put in a
plant, and will lie compelled lo lease of Air. Maker,
and all influences will be set lo work to swell the
profits of the olllce to yet greater dimensions.
The way Whitney was nominated ought to con
vince anyone that a new graft will be started. On the
first ballot there was no nomination made in the Re
publican stale convention. Then Jack Alatthews as
sembled bis 07 delegates in the rear of the convention
hall, and the word was passed, and at the next ballot,
it is said by those who were in close touch with the
contest that 07 ballots went into the hat from Jack's
hands in a bunch, and Air. Whitney, of the Albany
Herald, was nominated. It is also stated that the deal
to give it to Whitney was made by W. P. Iveady and
Jack Alatthews, ami I hey are to gel $,"000 apiece out
of the olllce, bill for this we cannot vouch, except that
it comes from a source in their councils.
So the olllce, if Air. Whitney is elected, will be
held up for all there is in il by Air. linker for the use
of his plant and by Alatthews and Iveady for deliver
ing the goods that nominated Air. Whitney. And this
is nothing especially against Air. Whitney, because
any other candidate before that convention would
have stood up and mortgaged in the same way if pos
sible. It cost a large sack of money to curry '.Multno
mah county for the .Matthews slates, and tliat money
must be made back, and in no way can it come so
quickly as through the state printer, as that olllce is
now conducted. The proposition before the people of
Ibis state is simply will they put Air. Whitney where
he will beheld up by Maker and Iveady and Alatthews?
Is there any way to get the enormous burden of
this extravagance thrown oil' the shoulders of the tax
payers? Xot if you elect Mr. Whitney. If the people
elect Air. Whitney on June lid, let ihein do it with
their eyes open, and knowing that there is no possibil
ity of breaking up this graft, but that the state print
ing push will be installed for four years more, and will
be increased. The push in that olllce will have license
lo increase their graft and pay their convention
pledges out of the public treasury.
Without entering into the merits of the candi
dacy or Air. Whitney or Air. Godfrey, the Democratic
nominee, from the standpoint of organized labor, what
is tin true Interest of I'liion labor in the state print
ing olllce? Conceding that union labor is employed
at present in the state printing olllce, the labor unions
have no interest in the grafts of politicians, have no
Intel est in a stale printer making from $10,000 to
$1.",000 a year, have no interest in Air Maker making
a tental sulllcient to buy a new plant eicry two veurs,
have no interest in a rake-olf for Jack AI tit thews ami
W. P. Keady, If such be the fact. The only direct in
teres t the labor unions have in this matter' is that the
labor actually entering into state printing and bind
ing shall be done at the union scale of wages, and bv
union labor, which is not the case on all the work now
done at the Mate printing olllce. It is well known that
now the printing olllce at the state house cannot do all
the work when there is a rush, and that everv job olllce
in Salem Is employed to print bills and other work
during the sessions of the legislature, and none of
thetse olllces have been under union srile. With the
present plant the work can never all be done at union
wiles.
From the standpoint or the union labor of this
state, there should be one of two things done with the
Mate printing olllce; the state should own and oper
ate the plant, or It should be put out of the state house
and the work done by union labor in commercial
printing olllces, the same as any other large corpora
Ron has it done. The present system is a partaershin
between politiml boodlers and the state treasury in
which the state and union labor get the worst of the
bargain. The state uiriiixluw room, fuel, 1M ,wu
and janitorship for a private plant that pavsno taxes
and in return the state printing costs the' state ao
fur lahur. but fyr th ujivM yfrom two to three
tunes what it should wist. The typesetters and ores
men get only ordinary wage. The inordinate com.
peiisation got to the polim-wii. If the ,)rivil, atf
pr in tig olllce were thrown out of the state houso, that
JiuiUihjg wuuld lw for mure wife from th-u, fwim ovnlo
fritm. fwmi bavin the building shaker pnd
there would be sevewil large .ommeivial job priming
olllices at Salem and Portland doing Hie state work.
These commercial olllces would pay rent, would pay
taxes, would employ union labor at good wages, till
the year round, and the state printet would do his
work for a Hat salary, and no grafts for the boodlers.
ruder all these circumstances tin thing for the
people to do, if they want reform, is to defeat the Re
publican candidate, Air. Whitney. 11 is true lie is
miming on a Hat salary platform, but that platform
is qualilicd, and the constitutional provision will be
relied on lo not have the law passed by Hie legislature
apply to bis olllce. In the case of that olllce the con
stitution says Hie legislature shall fix his compensa
tion, but it shall not be raised or lowered during his
let in of olllce.
If voters oT Oregon want to break the political
graft on the state printing olllce they Hiould vote for
Jas. Godfrey, the Democratic nominee, who stands on
a Hat salary platform, without qtinPllcations, who
will take any fair salary the legislature will give him,
and is not tied up witli Air. Maker or Jack Alatthews
or Air. Iveady, or any other Republican manager.
Air. Godfrey will accept the ollice on these terms,
and the legislature should pass a law at the same time
it puts through a salary bill to require that all state
printing should be done at union olllces, and at union
scale prices for labor. That would protect organized
labor and break up the present corrupt system of
managing the state printing. It is up to labor organi
zations to size up this matter, ami do what is right by
the taxpayers and by union labor. '
What I hen is the reform needed in the stale
printing oflice?
. The defeat of Mr. Whitney, the Republican
nominee, to hint I; the political tjruft that tot him, the
nomination.
2d. To elect Mr. (Sodfrey. who in a I'nion
printer, ana" who wan nominated free from any polit
ical pull that in opposed to reform.
.id. The remoral of a priratc printimj plant
from the state house, and let all state work he done in
the open market.
.'th. I'ass a law that all state work shall he dour
at union printiuy offices, at the union scale of wates.
of It. 'at the state printer on a salary of $2o0()
a year, and hare his office in the state house, as the
law ret i u ires.
If this program is carried into effect,und it can
be done by framing and passing a single bill through
I lie legislature, the state will pay about $12,000 to
$1.",000 a year for labor, as it does now, but it will not
be fiayiug that amount and twice that amount an
nually to politicians in excessive salaries and grafts.
OCT OF POLITICS.
The proprietor of this paper is now out of poli
tics, and any man should not mix in politics if he is
going to run a newspaper. As long as a newspaper
man holds an olllce he is constrained to frequently
take a stand against his judgment. So long as he is
a member of the ollleial family he is in honor bound to
stand by their acts. If he is free from any political
obligations he is also free lo say and do those things
that his political judgment dictates should be done. In
other words, when he is out of politics there are no
stiings on him, and lie can advocate those men and
measitics that will tend to the best advancement of the
county and state, without any political obligations to
hamper him. Oregon City Enterprise.
Editor Porter, of the Enterprise was a candidate
before the Republican convention for state printer.
We congratulate him on the position he has taken. As
we have said time and again,, no man can make a suc
cess of the newspaper business who is continually in
politics up to liis eyes on his own account. The minute
a journalist eaters the political arena with the hope
of piefermeut he sacrifices his independence as an edi
tor. If tilings go wrong in the party he is not at lib
erty to criticise and help correct it. The fact is Ore
gon has too many political journalists in hot h parties
for the good of either. If a newspaper publisher wants
to maintain the highest degree of public confidence he
must forego political aspirations. He is Hunt in a posi
iton to make his paper a free lance tind a power for
good, not only in his own party, but anioagHt all class
es or thinking people, irrespective of their political
complexion. Eugene Register.
SYSTEMATIC PLl'NDER IN TRANSPORT
SERYICE.
The ollicial investigation of the transport service
between San Francisco and the Philippines shows it
has been the source of much plunder to patriotic im
perialists. Every boodler who has fattened at the
government cost on account of that service is, of
course, an imperialist, and likewise patriotic.
Perhaps the worst of the numerous robberies of
the treasury in this kind, was that involved in the pur
chase of the transport Aleade for $400,000. The craft
lit that time was old, and the enormous sum of $580,
0(10 has since been spent on her for repairs.
Computed with this colossal swindle the expend!
uie or $!)2!)o for disinfectants, during five trips of the
1 1. 1 import Thomas, seems a mere bagatelle.
The preference given special linns in tl'te purchase
or supplies for the transports appears the more fla
grant in view of the fact that these concerns fleeced the
goveinmcnt by charging double the market price.
I he excuses are made that the high prices and
extravagant outlays were due to the need of haste at
lie outbreak of the war, lack of adequate supervision,
luck of method, etc. Mut there seems to have been
Plenty of method in the prices charged bv the contrac
tors, and in tin bargains driven by the shipowners,
ho so d old rotten hulks to the government at stand-and-deliver
prices.
i-i..iW!"' Vy'11 Ploi-tunit.v to boodlers of all
Kinds, by which they are not slow to profit.
It is said the transport service is "better now,"
and certain y there has been room for improvement.
i lie . tltpinos, w,o, according to Funston, are not
m ror self-government, should he highly edified h
J dying these otUcial reports of good government in
this paternal country.
,.MItinm,v X. l)ml"wt k whether the disclos
mercantile circle n mi, ....v...s. . ti
liinul i..... i " """nsi "if "a lac inm-i
sf , ,umrn rm'totl with "road &" ' Hat'
isr turn. 1 he plunderers are likely to hold on to the
s a
csa
pw
BHRflB