Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/902

 mplished

a great work for public morality and civic virtue within the first four years of its existence. Its first board of directors was composed of F. S. Akin, J. W. Bell, W. H. Markell, E. C. Bronaugh, F. A. Frazier, Miller Murdoch, John A. Patterson, and W. L. Johnston ; and of which board, W. J. Honeyman was presi- dent, John Bain, secretary, and D. A. Patullo, treasurer. The membership of the association was about two thousand voters in the city; and the total income from membership dues and special contributions for the first four years was $4,453. The association justified its organization, and proceeded to active work upon the following principles :

"The welfare of the state is superior to the interests of any single enterprise or class.

Party politics should have no place in municipal government.

The vices of a city form the breeding-ground of graft.

The morality of a community is the foundation of its prosperity."

Upon the above platform, within its first four years, the association put an end to prize fighting in the city, open gambling, slot machine lotteries, restaurant and saloon "boxes," dance halls and combination "houses," closed the liquor saloons on Sundays, drove the social evil into hiding, and overthrew a city govern- ment presided over by the most distinguished and popular citizen of the state. No other citizen organization in the history of the city ever accomplished so much, and with so small an amount of money. Throughout this strenuous conflict for the four years, Mr. John Bain, the secretary, Miller Murdoch, the attorney, and David A. Patullo the treasurer bore the brunt of the battle.

The laws are enforced by the present mayor, Joseph Simon, and his chief of police, A. M. Cox. In the month of July, 1910, 25 convictions were secured in the police court against highly respected citizens for violating the speed law against automobilists.

Violations of the liquor and gambling regulations have been followed closely. Grill rooms where women were served have been put out of business. Violations of the Sunday closing law have shown diminution.

Fines and forfeitures collected in July will exceed $4,cxx), as against $1,831 for the corresponding month last year.

THE POLITICAL DRIFT.

For many years the political sentiments of the city presented a solid un- broken front in favor of the republican party. And like most all other American cities, the hosts of the dominant party were handled by a skillful restricted leader- ship. The official plums and juicy party patronage was distributed with a dis- criminating sagacity that suggested the vital importance of standing well with and close up to the party leader. As long as the fires of the southern rebellion could be worked to throw a halo over the partisan warwhoop, the republican lead- ers had little trouble in keeping their adherents in line. There came, however, a time when the issues of the civil war seemed to have been decently buried and the grass grown over their graves. Then came questionings and doubts as to the absolute necessity of always voting an absolutely straight ticket. Hard times came on and new political issues arose. The populist party was organized. It rushed on to the battlefield as the friend of the people, and as the defender of unlimited coinage of silver money. Its advent was resented by both the republican and democratic parties ; and they united to defeat the new party men — and did defeat them, and finally drove the populists from the field.

But they retired only to re-appear in another form. In their brief career as a party the populists had made a wide acquaintance among farmers, union labor men and small tradesmen. They were the people, and they appealed, not to millionaires, and great corporations but to men of moderate or humble circum- stances. They brought forth three new political propositions. First, a direct primary nomination of all candidates for public office, by the votes of the electors and not by the selection by a convention. Second, the making of laws by the ini-