Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-11-14
Washington Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, Nov. l, 1884.
A Washington letter, just at this
time, must seem like an anachron-
ism. for the fight of the great quad
rennial election RACES everywhere
but here. But, though we do not
vote, We are more excited and aDx-
ious than any other community on
the continent. We throng the
streets with terror dumb" or in ST.
lent hope, as the case may be. and
await the Waterloo of Noyember
the 4th. The battle is wased every
where except in Washington, but
here its results will he mos; quickly
and keenly felt. Deliver us from
the brilliant demagogue, AMI slip
perry Spectator. is the pray / Of every
Democrat. But the great maj 'rity,
in this city of Republican offi,'-hold-
ers, is praying with frantic iervor
for the success OF the party t1at has
fed and clothed them, and used
them, not for the good of the people
aud the country, but for the Repub-
lican party.
There is ill-disguised terror in the
ranks of the Office holders here, they
are, take them all in all, very ig-
norant. unpatriotic set of tools.
They have no higher conception Of
politics than that it is q contest for
Office. They scoff at all attempts to
purify and elevate the public SER
vice and the National Administra-
ton. With this view, they, of
course, look upon the efforts of the
Democracy and the Independent Re-
publicans as the efforts of robbers
who fight and vote only for the
booty Of Office.
This is indeed q remarkable spec
tacle that we are witnessing. but we
need retrospective of five hundred
or thousand years to appreciate it.
The Macaulay of the future will re-
fer 10 this century rs that epoch in
the human race, when the questions
of State policy and dynasty which,
in former centuries, were settled
only by the sword, were attempted
to be settled by q poll Of popular
opinion. Will be be able to say the
experiment was successful? He
will have to record that in the
Centennial anniversary Of the Amer
lean nation, the plebiscitum clearly
and empbatically expressed lis pre-
ference for the candidacy Of Samuel
J. Tilden, but that the Republican
party by fraud and conspiracy seized
the Government and placed in the
executive chair o candidate who had
not been elected. He will further
write that at the next general cleo.
ton one of the conspirators who had
thwarted the public will was by
bribery, corruption, and the shame
less use Of money, furnished by
giant corporations. placed at the
head of the Government. Will be
be able to record that at the succeed
ing general election the people pre-.
vailed, aud that the experiment of
the Government by the people and
for the people had triumph over
the subversive forces that assailed it ?
These questions may appear to
have little pertinence 10 those who
look neither backward nor forward,
who knew so little of history and
political institutions, that they sup.
pose q Government is founded on q
rock because it has appeared 10 live
through an infancy of a hundred
years.
We, as q nation, are not given to
introspection. Removed far from
the transatlantic civilization, we lack
. measure Of comparison. One re-
suit 10 vanity and over. confidence i.
To criticise anything American is
looked upon as unpatriotic or pessa.
mistic BY the average Young Ameri.
can, and many are young in default
of the judgment maturity of years
should bring.
The campaign that has just closed
has shown an utter lack of faith in
idea Of popular sovereignty on the
part of Republican leaders. The
idea upon which this Government is
founded is. that it's people are in
telligent, capable Of reason and Of
judgment. But in contempt of this
idea, appeals hsve been constantly
made to their passions, their preiu.
dicss. their fears. The "bloody
shirt" has been Haunted, and those
who ought 70 be statesmen, for they
have figured in affairs of State, have
not hssitated to sanction and 10 use
the most despicatle means to cloud
the real issues and to pervert the
truth.
How much longer can we stand
this monstrous Justification Truth
in its broadcast sense, veracity, is the
essence Of national life. A nation
will die because IL beliavas q liz