Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1864-07-16
The Special Election To-Day.

We regret to find that but little interest is
being manifested by Union men in thu cleo
ton which takes place to-day between Messrs.
Rhodes ard Longmire, and yet the result of
the election will prove Of more consequence
than any which has taken place in our Terri
tory for years past. In the first place. it will
decide the political complexion Of the next
Legislature; and secondly, it is the first cleo.
ton to take place on this coast since the NOM
ination Of LINCOLN and JOHNSON. and conse.
quenily the result will indicate the popularity
of the Union nominees in Thurston county
at all events this will be claimed by the Dem
ocrats" should they succeed in ~electing their
candidate, and this they may do unless Union
men bestir themselves to prevent it.
During the past two weeks, we have done
all we could to excite an interest in the cleo.
ton, but for some cause or other, our cotem-
porary, the p. Tribune, has discouraged all
effort and manifested a disposition to let the
election 60 by default. What motives could
prompt such a course are best known to the
editor of that paper. The public has not
faileds:o notice the apparent indifference if not
the secret opposition which it has manifested
to the formation of Lincoln and Johnson Clubs
and to discourage the canvass of the county
we had proposed. The influence of that pa
per, unaided by thoss who profess great zeal
for the Union cause, would not be very potent
for mischief; but as the matter now stands,
their influence may prove sufficient to defeat
Mr.. Rhoades, as it is we'll known that the
course Of the faction Of which they are the
recognized organ caused his defeat at the reg
ular election. We do not intend to be urder-
stood as asserting that they labored design
eddy for this purpose, but that the course pur-
sued had the effect of weakening rather than
to strengthen the Union organization. We
had hoped that the results of the June cleo.
ton would induce a change of policy on their
part, that would have secured a unity of action,
but we fear that the result of the election to.
day will disappoint our reasonable expecta-
ton.
If We are beaten, our only hope of future
success will be founded on the recent change
at the head Of the Treasury Department. 1t
cannot BE- be denied that the whole influence
Of that Department has hitherto been used
to the injury of the Union cnuse in this Ter
ritory. We believe this will not be the case
in the future. but that the power and patron
age Of the Department will be employed in
every Legitimate way to strengthen the friends
of the Administration. When the causes
which prepared the way for this important
change in the Cabinet are more fully under.
stood. it may appear that Washington Terri
tory has figured more conspicuously in the
matter than is now supposed. This will be
more clearly manifested when certain changes
are made in the subordinates Of the Treasury
Department upon this coast.
70 Our defence Of Senator Harding having
been severely criticised by many of our Union
it affords us great satisfaction to know
that we were not mistaken in our estimate of
his fidelity to the Union cause. We have
seen recent letters from him of similar import
to the following. which we copy fon the
Yreka Journal, of the Goth ult.
SouND.-Hon. B. F. Harding, U. s. Sen.
ator from Oregon, passed through town last
Wednesday. on his way home. Mr.. Harding
has been been a Democrat all his life until the
formation Of the Union party in Oregon,
which party he used his influence 10 organize.
He is in favor of an amendment TO the Con-
~stitution for the total abolition of slavery, and
contends that the permanency of the Govern
ment depends upon the wiping out Of slavery.
the quicker done tho better. He was inter-
by Democrats concerning the pros
poets Of the radicals, to which he replied that
so long as our armies met with any success in
whipping rebels, just so long will the popular
feeling favor Lincoln, and that the only pros.
poets Of his defeat might b. in Grant being
driven back 10 Washington. He says Ere.
mont men and Copperhtads are more bitter
towards the Union party than with each 9th
or. but does not believe the two parties COM
bined could carry a single State.
How THE SOLDIERS FEEL ON THE PREsI-
QuEsrIoN.-Ths s. F. Alta makes
the following extract from the letter of a young
officer Of the California Volunteers. stationed
at Fort Miller, to his father in San Francisco,
as indicative Of the feeling Of our soldiers on
Presidential question: " We FIRE q salute
at this post tomorrow, in honor of the Ienom-