Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-01-25
OLYMPIA. WASHINGTON TER.
OLYMPIA. TEIDAY EVENING, JAN. q, 1889.
= the People," in Another Shape.
A REPUBLICAN ESTIMATE OF THE Pop
ULAR VOTE.


A REPUBLICAN ESTIMATE OF THE Pop
ULAR VOTE.
They take even truth and twist and screw il,
Into such odd form that all who view it,
Regard with great wonder the shape brought 10
light
And acknowledge, with sigh, that black may be
white.
The attention OF the writer has
been called to a paragraph in the
Partisan OF the 18th instant, in which
it directs attention to an article from
the Sacramento Union, with a seek
him-Tige sort OF an air that Is quite
amusing to those who have sized up
Mr.. Cavanaugh's political aspirations
and measured them by the good that.
has been been done by the Partisan
either by the dissemination OF original
ideas or as the promoter OF new
thought on any subject.
1t declares that the article Eek
plains fully and truthfully the reason
why Harrison has not majority OF
the popular vote OF the United States"
The truth of this assertion may be
weighed, when we quote just what the
article says, as follows: "Had there
been free ballot and a sfair count
everywhere in the States, it is known
that a majority over all would have
been cast for Gen. Harrison" There
is the tull and truthful explanation OF
the "reason," according to the recog-
nized organ of Republicanism in the
Territory.
"When / catch another rat and the
one I'm after now, I'll have two rats"
said the abnormally sanguine boy,
under precisely . similar state of
circumstances. That rot about the
suppression of a popular vote in the
South is unfair and untrue. There
is absolutely less ground for it than
there would be for a sweeping asser-
ton that because it is well substan-
tiated that some monopolists of the
north forced their employees to vote
the Republican ticket, that-as
nearly all monopolists are Republi-
cans-they all did the same thing,
and thus rolled up enough of MAORI
ties in evenly-balanced States to carry
the Electoral College for Harrison.
The Union has too much sense to be-
lieve it, Mr.. Partisan, and if you had
paused a moment, doubtless you
would not have so Internationally en-
dorsed a musty old stock argument"
which has done service, in season and
out of season, ever since the war, ex-
cept in 1876, when the india-rubber
leaders of the Republican party
mounted the States Rights hobby
and rode it through tho highest tri-
bunal of the land. Then they de-
clared that neither the General
Government, Congress, the Electoral
College, the Supreme Court, nor
the people, had a right to 90 behind
the returns of q sovereign State, no
matter how fraudulently they had
been made nor how fagrantly they
failed to exhibit the true expression
Of the popular will. It mattered not
then whether there had been +" a free
ballot or fair count" The question
was, "Will it save the Republican
partyr" and that being conceded, the
infamous proexamme for subverting q
popular majority Of quarter of a
million votes was carried out.
The IJniom sn.ers At the respect
shown bv the . Democratic press''
for the nonulsr vote II af;rms that
at [the popu]sx yotel il not a factor
known "a onr svetem that the electo.
m, schan,e ~. d;rect,v and nr;nc;.
pally framed to ignore it." Probably il
was, but ct that time the founders Of
the Government had little if any con.
ception Of the details for working out
free government. Nominating con-
ventions were unknown, and it was
doubtless considered momentous
question how to unite the suffrages
on any reasonable number of oppos.
ing candidates that would be likely te
secure votes in the thirteen colonies,
By the selection of electors, the con
test was almost narrowed down to
State bounds, and discretion wal
bestowed upon State electors which
has since by common consent beer
withdrawn. The Government wal
originally Designed more as confed
eraton OF States than a supreme
power ana the primary allegiance o
citzensnip was due 70 the otate ratne'
IMAM the oeneraA government.
1t seems, therefore, in direct con
flict With the Republican ideas of tn
present day to hold that "the popu
lar vote is not . factor known to on
system" 1t seems equally opposed II
the true definition OF Democrat.
which recognizes in the fullest degre
ri