The day book. [volume], March 10, 1914, LAST EDITION, Image 27

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
HE BROKE PRE-ELECTION
FACES THE
By Jack Jungmeyer.
Richmond, Cal., March 10. "Make
good your pre-election promises or
expect to be removed by those to
whom you have been faithless."
With this warning to public serv
ants, the angered constituents of
State Senator James C. Owens and
former mayor of this city, have in
stituted a recall against him "a con
spicuous example of broken cam
paign pledges to labor."
It is the first time in the United
States that this has been made the
specific ground for exercise of the
people's new political weapon.
The special election, which Owens
tried desperately to stave off, but In
which he was overruled by the State
Supreme Court, is set for March 31.
Against him will run J. J: Mazza, Pro
gressive, and R. Leonhart, Socialist.
During the campaign Owens was
glib with promises of what labor
might expect of him. Not only did he
subscribe to the labor planks in the
Democratic platform, but he supple
mented this by personal pledges made
in writing to the State Federation of
Labor.
When it came to performance,
however, the senator from Richmond
voted against nine measures spon
sored by the state's toilers, and was
not recorded as voting on the other
10 out of a total of 19.
He opposed workmen's compensa
tion, anti-injunction, removal of
property qualification for' jury serv
ice, conservation, picketing during
strikes, state mine inspector, cement
workers' protection, and did not vote
on the women's eight-hour bill
amendment.
Alarmed over the promise of
speedy retribution for his faithless
ness through the recall; Senator
Owens secured from his honie coun
ty courts a writ of prohibition pre
venting the secretary of state from
certifying the petition to Gov. John-
PLEDGES NOW
RECALL
HE
SENATOR OWENS' RECORD
Out of 19 measures advocated
by labor at the last legislature,
he voted against nine and was
silent on the other 10 roll-calls,
supporting not a single working-
man's bill.
He voted for five "progressive"
measures; against 6, absent 6.
Against anti-gambling and so-
cial evil policies, 5; for, 6.
These measures generally em-
braced the policies which he had
promised to further in pre-elec-
tion pledges, assert the recallers.
Senator James C. Owens.
son. But in a special session the Su
preme court pronounced the writ
void on its iace.-
He's got to face the guns.
Thus the long arm of the people,
armed with the new political weapon,
is reaching out to make the men of
Owens' type realize that henceforth
4- .u.,