Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-10-27
Mr.. Burke'S Acceptance.
SENrrLh. Oct. lG.h. 1852.


officially, that the Territorial Demo
Cratic Convention has done IN" the
honor tn renumlnate me rs is can-
dldate for the position OF Delegate
to Congress from this T.rr tony. !
Under any circumstances l shouid
be deeply impressed with such I.
nark OF confidence and r,.g .ri of ii .
nody of representative Democrats. ,
such Is recently assembled in cow. n
t!"u Ill NancouH,r; but 1 appreciate
the honor all the mole highly be !
cause the nomination came to me,
not only uhsou5h,, bu, a"ainst ny j
fXpra@ >e'l wishes If were Now
to consult my personal feelings. IN !
tcrSta ~ convenience, | should Ger
iainly decline i!,c nomination. La
le cary days OF he Republic, It Wa, "a
III iXiin III politics hat no man should
seek or decline an office. | lave
hitherto generally regulated ny con
duct i'll politics upon the principle
% his maxim; and | think it lily
lWy To observe it in this instance.
L! it be true, as our Republican
friends delight To tell us, that our
party is in II hopiesS minority, then
| should feel bound by doub
duty to stand as the candidate of he
patty. Fnst, | would owe it as a
duty to he Territory to ait in keep
Ins MP the party or9anzI ion, as a
wholesome and necessary check upon
the party in power; and secondly,
| would owe it as - duty to the party
that has honored me, to uphold and
contend for it even in the presence of
inevitable defeat 1t would he base
Ill the extreme to desert friend, or
party, in the hour of trial or miSfor-
tune. Nominees are not wont in our
day to decline nominations rendered
by party as able to elect as to NOM
mate. But If party organizations
have any higher aims than merely
to skirmlsh and scramble for offices,
to scheme and struggle for place,
men should be rs ready to uphold
them III the minority is in the ma.
jority. Indeed as general thing,
men who stand by party having no
substantial favors to bestow, do so
from principle; while there is always
a large number to be found in the
ranks of the party in power who
fight for it and shout for it, not so
much for the good that is III it as
for the good they can get out of it.
There never has been a time in the
history of our Territory when the
public interests SO imperatively re-
CURED, as they do now, an able, ell.
ll1htened and powerful opposition
TO check the growing and dangerous
tendency of the party in power to
wards" bossism" and machine meth
DDS with all their attendant politi-
cal abuse. Party managers seem to
have caught the infection that is
now, in the States, degrading tue
public service, debauching the pub.
lie morals, and scandaliziny the ma.
ton. five would keep the politics
of the Territory free from the de.
moralizing presence of the "boss"
and the machine" We must en-
deavor to obtain something like an
equal division OF political power, and !
thus keep the patty that happens to
be dominant for the moment con.
stantly on its good behavior.
The great question in politics to-
day is the reform of the Civil Ser
vice, and that question concerns us
here rs deeply as it does the peo-
pie Of any other part of the country. |
The cry comes to us from three great |
States of tho Union that the nomi-
nations of The candidates of the Re.
publican party i'll each of those |
States was produced by fraud and |
the corruption of patronage. The |
voice of the people is stiflled, their
wishes disregarded and their abIest
and most upright leaders thrust
aside by an INSCRIPTIONS cabal who I
have gained control of the party
machine.
An eminent Republican has recent.
ly thus characterized the condition
of affairs in New York and Penn.
sylvania:
"The events in both States show
that no graver political peril now
confronts the country than the COM
plete subjusation of the Republican
party by INSCRIPTIONS cabals, which
bride with public employment, and
pay their way by tilching from the
public treasuary. This is an evil
which would end in violence unless
conclusively rebuked by the people
at the polls" And this rebuie will
be administered by the defeat and
overthrow of the cabals and the
success of the Democratic party:
and If the Democratic party fails to
catch the inspiration of the hour. TO
become thoroughly im6ued with the
Importance of this great question of
civil service reform, it will, in its
turn be hurled from power, as in
such case it would richly deserve to .
be. But the Democrats are in full
sympathy with the spirit of this
great movement. A great Democrat.
lc Senator and leader, Senator Pen
dleton, of Ohio, has already brought {
forward measure of the fiist i'm {
portance in securing a reform of the
clvl! service, and under his able and
enllshtned advocacy the measure
will doubtless be adopted. II
This, then, is no time for the
Darty of Wosb;roton
Territory to abandon the field. Let t
The party organization be maintained. =
Let the party everywhere through. ;
out the Territory take a firm and
stand against * bossism'' !
md machine methods in politics: a
against political cliques and cabals. C
md the result will be that our Terri. y
DRY will be saved from the political E
generalization that seems to hayet