Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-11-16
The Situation.
Examiner, 10th inst .

in defeat? Shall it give up its princi-
Piles, or shall it hold them high and de-
serve success until it wins it?
The interviews published in yester-
days Examiner leave no doubt on that
point. They show that the spirit of
the party is unshaken, and that it is
ready to fight the battle out on this
line "if it takes all summer" or a
dozen summers.
| And first, let us see where We stand.
The Democracy has lost the Offices.
That is the solemn condition that
confronts u.s." But it has not been
routed. 1t retires from the field in
good order On the latest returns it
retains a majority of the popular vote.
Its losses have been at critical points,
but in themselves they have been
slight. In many quarters it has
gained. The Republican majority in
Minnesota has been reduced from AL
600 to 1900, in Ohio from $4,000 to
less than 10000, and in California
from 1900 to less than 5000. The
old settled counties in California show
Democratic gains, not only over the
Blaine vote of 1884, but over the vote
of 1856, when Bartlett carried the
State. 1t was solely the Eastern i'm
migration of the last three years that
gave Harrison any majority here at all
For the next two years the task of
the Democracy will be chiefly to watch
the course of its opponents. The Re-
publicans will probably have control
of all branches of the Government.
We know by experience what that
means. The last period Of complete
Republican ascendency was the two
years following the election OF Gar
field. The election of 1880 was far
greater Democratic disaster than that
of last Tuesday, but in two years of
power the victorious party managed to
pile up collection of scandals, with
the help of Blaine, Dorsey, Keifcr and
My Dear Hubbell," that brought the
Democrats back into the ascendency
with a majority of $4,000 in New
York, 10000 in Pennsylvania, 14OOO
in Massachusetts, and hundred in
the House of Representatives.
The last period Of unchecked Re-
publican ascendency before this had
been distinguished by the Credit Mo-
bilier, back pay, French arms, Belknap
and Robson scandals and ended in
the crash Of 1874, when Republican
majority of 100 in the House vas
Transformed into Democratic major
ity of seventy.
We trust the Republican victory on
the present occasion has been COM
plcte enough to give the party the en-
tire responsibility of the conduct of
the Government. We should not like
to see the good name of the country
stained although with such men as
Quay, Dudley, Elkins, Dorsey and
New in control, we do not see how
anything like the present level Of pur-
ity is to be maintained. But we wish
the Republican leaders to carry out
their policy, if they have one, and let
the people see what it is like.
If experience be any guide, We may
expect the Democracy to be called
back to power ut the next Congress
sional elections. The intervening time
should be devoted to thorough, intel
ligent process of instruction on the re-
lations of the tariff to current events.
To the mass of the people the argu-
mehts employed during campaign
are too theoretical to have much effect.
They do not bear closely enough upon
the practical affairs of the day. For
the next four years the Democratic
party should watch every incident Of
current social history. Every strike,
every lockout, every reduction OF wages,
every corner, every trust, should be
explained in it's relations TO the protec-
tive system. Workingmen should be
taught by daily object lessons how the
war tariff checks production and cuts
down the rewards of labor. Every
complaint of high expenses and low
profits from the farming districts
should be met by patient rehearsal
of the operations of the lumber, jute
bag and wire-fence rings under the
shelter OF the tariff.
Ii this policy be faithfully pursued,
we shall see considerable rearrange-
ment of parties before the next cleo
ton. The example of West Virginia
may be followed by two or three other
Southern States, but these losses will
be more than made up in the North.
1t is not the tariff that holds the great
mass of the Republican voters in Indi-
ana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin,
Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas and Nebras-
ka. II is the war spirit and nothing
else. Those States are Republican be-
cause the South is Democratic. The
people represented by the Chicego Tri-
bune and the st. Paul Pioneer-Press
are Democrats on economic questions,
but they have warm affection for the
"bloody shirt"
The disintegration of the Solid South
will inevitably dissolve the Solid North
west, and the process should be has
tened by skillful Democratic manage
ment. 1t was charged, absurdly but
effectively, against the Mills bill. that
it was a sectional measure, designed to
break down the industries OF the North
for the benefit of the South. To per-
sons who had not read the bill-and
very few of those vino criticised it ever
had read line of 1.-THE mere fact
that it was introduced by gentleman
irum Texas, with the assistance of gen.
| tlom.n from Tennessee Arkansas