Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-02-19
WHAT Il CoNsERvArIsN.
.Drzos Posr 1srrLrorcxs

EDr7oa Posr
have always thought vss bern 9
terusgh all these years / have been
l9borirg under a mistake.
/ arrived II SsAitie some weeks before
the election of las: July. and / will con
fs - the VERY sound Of Z" the conserve
tive ticket" quite pleased NV ear .ud
Won my attention | listened interest
inRly TO both parties, and | remember
Of being very positively assured By.
think. an ex Governor, that If the con
sentative ticks. vas elected there would
dawn upon Seattle such year Of basi-
ness prosperity as is past had never
known. Then. AZ the close Of that day,
the rspt1rous reception Of the result
Vas certainly enough TO establish the
confidence Of even the incredoI0as.
Since that election day | have plodded
through the months. wear IL straicinz
my eyes for q glimpse OF the promised
dawn of business prosperity: bat while
it has been generally Acknowledged that
this city IL by far the most active Uusi-
ness point on Puget Sound, | have been
repeatedly assured by old and leading
business men here that never before
vas there year of sach scarcity of
nsney ard general business depression q.
| had been told that the pressure IN
mon y matters tue preceding year came
from the rule Of fanatics. and AS ! BY
degrees began TO question the correct
ness Of this theory, asked occasion
ally, during those months of waiting for
toe dawn. what the Council OF les. year
did that was so disastrous in its results,
and l was always told they tried 10 close
the saloons on sunday. / have tri-d in
vain to make IL clear TO nay own mind
how a community's general business
prosperity could be enhanced by giving
the saloons a chance TO scrspe IN the
1orkingmsn's spare change duriag his
| rest day. If II should be missed cut of
the saloons till, 1t might be found III
the workingman's pocket. | speak OF
the workingman, as professional men
and loafers generally have al abundance
Of time TO get rid of all their spare
| change during the SIX days of the week
| usually devoted to business.
Although considering myself a con-
| sentative, | have besn somewhat CON
fused at times as to what that term
signifies 10 this locality. had supposed
I
closing saloons as well as general bust
ness houses On Sunday. that II would be
conservative to fall into line as q city,
upholding and enforcing this law. But
| Just here my conservatism seems to be
| at fault, for eur conservative Councll
| and police force have certainly disre-
garded all law on this subject. And
| yet, Notwithstanding all this, | have
1 ~ yAf har nod Aaur - ftra
times.
Then, again, am told there is Law
| making is a crime to sell or give liqaor
| to minors. Now, to my mind the rigid
| enforcement Of this enactment would
| be conserving the most unQaestioned
| and plainest good of the city; bat the
| we'll known fact that this law is grossly
repeatedly and persistently disreearded
shows that my conservatism 10 again al
| fault.
sentative Council and police force, both
composed largely of foreign born citi-
| zens, failed to secure along with their
naturalization papers the American re
| speeI for Law. think men born under
the dear old blood bought flag have q
ksener sense of 10y atty and of obliQa-
/
try's laws; and think it would be con.
| sentative to allow at least fair proper
ton of Americans to try their hands al
running their own government. / can
not think that an American chief OF
police would, at the present crisis, be in
| the Lookup, charged with aiding law
breakers. since the disRracefui pro-
eesdings of the 7th inst. these matters
/ taxr \ .f,,ff
scanned the Home Guards who respond
ed to the officers call for help. found
| among them merchants, BANKERS, law
yers, ministers, physicians, dentists,
| clerks, mechanics, Iabofers, aud one
well known liquor dealer, but not one
| saloon keeper or bartender. These
men, who so largely represented the
| conservative element last July, whers
were they? And where were the men
| they rejolced so over electingI Where
| were those good conservative Council
men who were to save the city from
impending disaster and calamity usher
| in u reign of unprecedented prosperity
Where were thsyf 1 fear they were,
POLITICALLY speaking,
~ irst in the field that was farthest
from danger"
II, hereafter, in order to be conserva-
tive, 1t is necessary to stand poised on
| the top of the fence like our last
Thursday morning recruits) on all
questions Of moral character, or if Il
Is necessary to train with tho law
breaking saloon element; II it is neces-
sary to quietly submit to the besotting
Of oar boys; If it is necessary for a
majority of our Council and police force
to be of foreign birth; If it is necessary
| to keep out of sight and Dot raise a
hand to support she laws when called
lpon by ths officers, when common de-
cenoy. to say nothing Of a Christian
ciyiliz alton, is being outraged; If this is
the accepted program of conservatism,
l am no loager q CONSERVATIVE
| SKATIIR Feb. l6. ISS6.