Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-10-31

OF public sentiment. The people
will have none of it.
elias Had it Long Enough.
This is the slogan which the Fed
eral clique have started against the
Peoples nominee for Treasurer in
this county. They seem to be obliv-
ious of the fact that some of them
cordially approved of MIR. Garfeljs
determination on assuming the Pres
idential chair to retain in position
those officers who had manifested a
special fitness for the duties with
which they were entrusted. 1t
makes, in such matters, a vast differ
ence as to whose OK is gored and
whose pocket is benefited by the
emoIuments of place. As long as tho
great Mogul of the clique and his
satellites we've profted by the Presi-
dental view of official succession, it
was quite orthodox to grasp the Off
cial teat with renewed visor, but
now, when the edict his gone forth
that hitherto insurmountable Oh
stacle to boss rule shall be slaught-
cred, these same dictators skin "A. cat
backwards to humbug the people.
while they laugh in their sleeves at
popular credulity.
Rev. James Freemen Clarke ut
tered trvism few days ago, when
he said "Public Office is not re-
'rard bat Duty" 1t matters but
little whether the President took the
narrow or broad view of the subject;
whether lie regarded efficiency us the
primary object, or made the reward
for party services the controlling mo-
tive, the same logical sequence fol.
lows, that the public service is i'm.
measurably benefited by the reten-
ton in power of those fitted for duty
by that best of all tests of capacity
Experience. When the people ex-
ercise their sovereign power at the
ballot-box, they are recreant no less
to the public than their own inter-
ests, if they allow considerations of
minor importance to interfere with
the selection of the best qualified
candidate for each respective Office.
The question should be not What
church does he attend? or What
meat does he eat ? but Is he honest ?
Is he capable' Is he accommodating
Is he one who will best suJserre The
public interests ?
Apply this test 10 the competing
candidates for Treasurer, and what
is the result? Let the public rec
ords answer. MIR. Munson's work
will bear inspection, his official rec
ord the closest scrutiny. How is
it with Mr.. Mann? The short time
he held the Office of City Treasurer
demonstrated Enthusiastically that his
talent does not run in the line of fig.
ures. As a druggist, we can trust
him; as an accountant, we beg to de-
muir. The same incompetency. we
afe told, has been shown in his at
tempt to keep accounts for private
organizations. If it is denied, we
have been promised the proof.
The voter should select the public
officer with the same care and judy
ment that he would an agent 10
manage his individual affairs. 1t
would be regarded as much the
heighth of folly to employ q cabinet
maker for salesman in a store, as it
would to expect the cashier of q
bank could make c!ose-jcirts in fash
ioning any ordinary piece of furni-
ture; as absurd to employ an &C.
countant, no matter how experienced
in figures, to compound drugs, as it
would to place the most reliable
chemist at the ledger. The wood
sawyer might with equal propriety
attempt one of Beethovan's grand
creations on the organ, as for the
most skillful manipulation OF stops
to attempt to play the simplest air
on the corporation fiddle"
We opine the people have too
much sense to be deceived by this
dodge. The very premise leads d.
rsctly to the conclusion of exception
al competency. 1t implies conf
dence as we'll, and the clique will find
to their cost that many years of
fidelity to trust, of accommodation to
oil rich or poor, high or low, of gen.
crosby in all the walks of life, will
prove a barrier as firm as the rocks
of Gibraltar to withstand their ven.
omous spleen. They may resolve to
sacrifice their own nominees for 9TH
er Offices to accomplish Mr.. Nun
sons defeat, but the difficulty will
rest 10 making sensible people mere
puppets to be moved according to
their will.
AT O vote taken at the NJ. E. Con-
ference of ministers held at Medina,
N. Y. out of POP members of the
body 140 pledged themselves to vote
E r