UPTON SINCLAIR’S PROMISE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19904, 14 September 1934, Page 6

UPTON SINCLAIR’S PROMISE

“WILL GRANT PARDON TO TOM MOONEY” Mr Upton Sinclair, the Socialist author, had an overwhelming victory in the primary election for the Governorship of California. At the primary election, the voters choose a candidate to represent each party in the election held later in the year. It may be described as a preselection ballot supervised by the State, and applying to all parties. Mr Sinclair, who will seek election in November as a Democrat, defeated the official Democrat nominee, Mr George Creel, by more than 140,000 votes, receiving the largest primary poll ever recorded in California. This shows the drift to the Left in California, traditionally Republican. Republican Unpopular

The Republican candidate in the November ballot will be Mr Frank Merriam, who has acted as Governor since the death of Mr James Rolfe. His activities during the longshoremen’s strike made many enemies for him. Reluctantly the Democratic Party has extended its support to Mr Sinclair. The Postmaster-General (Mr Farley) has sent Mr Sinclair the congratulations of the Roosevelt Administration. “My first official act, if elected Governor, will be to pardon Tom Mooney.” Mr Sinclair said to-day. He plans the estbalishment of farm colonies, where the unemployed may make a living. Los Angeles voted for Mr Sinclair three to one; San Francisco supported Mr Creel.

[Mr Upton Sinclair, who is 55, has stood, unsuccessfully, as Socialist candidate for Congress, and for the Governorship of California. He achieved world fame in 1906, in his book, “The Jungle,” in which he exposed the evil conditions in the Chicago meatworks, and the sufferings of immigrants. He has since written more than a score of books denouncing various aspects of American public life and industry. His most recent best seller was “Oil!” (1927). “The Wet Parade,” a novel, has been screened as a talking picture. At periods he has led crusades against alleged abuses of privilege, and has spent short periods in gaol. Tom Mooney and another Labour organiser named Billings, were arrested in 1916 after a bomb had killed 10 people and injured 44 during a “Preparedness Day" parade in San Francisco. Described by the police as dangerous revolutionaries, they were sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment. Since then, important witnesses against them have been proved to have lied in court, and the Judge who heard their ease, and 10 of the jurymen have stated their belief that Mooney was wrongly convicted. Efforts to secure his release have failed.]