, 1886-08-26
The Coming Contest.

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people, in order that voters might be
fully informed as to the position Of
the party putting forth the utterance.
Now days, it is understood, however,
that platforms are made TO catch
voters. Particularly may this be said
of the work of the late democratic
territorial convention. OF all the
artful, acrobatic, non-committal spe-
cimens OF word iugglery that we have
seen during the past decade, the
democratic platform this year in
Washington territory is especially
noticeable. It is candid only IN one
thing-placing the responsibility of
legislating railroad land grants upon
the republican party. But for the
progressive policy of that party in
the past we would probably still be
crossing the continent with OK teams
rather than enjoying the transporta-
ton advantages of the present day.
Tie principle enunciated in general
as to governmental resumption of
control of unearned grants is a
good one, and the republican conven-
ton should pronounce, emphatically,
in favor of ii. Republicans two
years ago thought that an exception
should be made in the case of the
Cascade branch grant, for good and
sufficient reasons, and it SO expressed.
Its judgment with reference to the
conditional extension of time on that
grant has been fully vindicated, and
we believe it has not yet changed its
mind. We believe that the benefits
to be secured to the territory by the
completion of that road are so great
that the republican party can this
year appeal with pride to the people
to endorse their action in this matter.
In regard to the gross earnings tax
law, the declaration in favor of its
repeal is timely, and will probably be
made by the republican convention
next month-although the time for
its repeal with greatest benefit to the
public has hardly arrived yet. We
want to see the railroad within the
territory completed, its lands earned
patented to it, and unearned lands
claimed by it returned to the public
domain, and then one tax law put in
force for citizen and corporation
alike, and freights and fares regu-
lated by legal enactment. Hitherto
the lands claimed by the company
could not be taxed by ordinary meth
DDS, because the lands were simply
held by the government in reserve
for the company, to be patented to it
when earned. That was what gave
rise to the gross earnings tax law;
and it has served its purpose as a
temporary remedial measure, and
ought to be repealed
But it is in reference to other local
side issues that the democratic party
has shown itself either too cowardly
to take the stand that decency and
good government reqGire it should
have taken, or else that it wishes to
be understood as endorsing the law
lessness that required the strong arm
OF the military to put it down. We
refer to its utterances on the Chinese
labor question. We do not believe
that the action of a few democratic
politicians on this question expresses
convictions and sentiments of the
rank and file of their party-and if
they do not / Sc more votes at the
polls by this stroke of policy than
they gain by it we will be mistaken.
These politicians did not condemn
Governor Squire and Chief Justice
Greene for suppressing lawlessness
and crime, because they believed
those officers deserved condemnation
for doing sworn duty, but because
said politicians concluded it would be
policy to express such condemnation
that it would catch the rabid, anti
Chinese, dynamite element. They
probably did not realize that in
straining a point in order to catch the
votes OF those who can see no crime
IN shooting, robbIng or driving
Chinese out by force, they were
placing themselves in a position
where self respecting and law abiding
citizens of their own party could not
conscientiously follow them. If they
had expressed their convictions In
favor of abrogating the Burlingame
treaty and getting rid of our Chinese
oy tG'yui means only, drawing
the line between lawful and unlawful
acts, they might have retained the
respect OF good people and yet have
taken position of fairness toward
the laborlng men, whether honest
tollers or professional agitatoIs. But
such course would not have been
radical enough to have appeased the
rabld agitators who appeal to the
torch and the pistol. and hence they
determined to throw to tho winds
their sense of right, and bid recklessiy
for the dynamiters' votes. They lost
a grand opportunity 10 take a course
within the bounds of moderation and
Justice. Evidently, the platform
business was in young hands-and
botch was made of it.
The silence of the democratic plat
form upon the local option and
woman suffrage question is inter
preted by some to mean q secret cor
rupt bargain with enemies of those
laws. We do not so understand it.
They were simply afraid to express
| their time-honored democratic ten
cts against temperance legislation
and woman suffrage. They lacked
the courage to say that the local op-
ton law ought to be repealed, or 10
declare for fair trial of it. More
hereafter.