The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1890-04-25

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''Such Is the soul Of wi, but not belong,
To me the arrows Of sasisic song.
The royal vices Of our age demand
A keensr weapon and a mighlier hand"
'sThe occasion makes the man." il is said,
and. h seems the satiris, as well. But who
could have expected him 10 appear 10 the
midst Of the great republican convention Of
Oregon. Yet he was there. and the chief scribe
in that august assemblagc. especially selected
because of the force oihs sarcasm and the
pungeney Of his wit. Let the reader ponder
over this pointed deliverance,
"Firt We favor honest, efficient, and q
economical administration Of every department
Of government botk state and national" This
was doubtless written out Of respect to the
memory Of the Immortal Pickwick and was in
tended to be understood in a strictly piekwick.
Ian sense. To think otherwise, one musl be-
come oblivious Of history and all the pas. and
declare that the epresert congress and the las,
legislature OF Oregon are myths; that the last
Oregon legislature never met a. the capital. .oc-
cupied lis spacious halls nor held high carnival
there for forty days and higAts and squandered
the revenues wrung nom the people for the
bases, party purposes, IL No, .foy somsfAmg
sfU uorse and more dcgradiRr. Aud con
gressl that immaculate body good menl Is
il not laboring necessarily to "reduee tie sur
plus" by distributing the accumulated millions
in the treasury, wrung from long suffering tax
payers already overburdcned with taxes. among
Is partisansf oh, yes, For economical ad
ministrationr commend us always aud un,ler
all circumstances to the average republican
legislature or a congress composed Of he same
''honest and siIieien " sort Of statesmen. And
pray what has the republican party ever done
lor the free school system Of the state tha, Il
would be .proud1" The careful economy shown
in the management Of the fund is what builds
the system up and makes Il enduring Under
Governor Pennoyer's administration the fand
has grown and accumulated much faster than
il ever did under any republican administra-
ton. lie, the people think! In 1885 the total
irreducible school fund OF the state was $685.
1870. In 1889 ii has grow TO the magui6-
cent sum Of sI,7sS7oo.oo showing an In
crease under Governor Pennoyer's adminisSra-
ton Of ofSSS7.o73.S4. thus more than doubling
in that brief period. Tsers is reason foy
Lkis. Is il because the money was kept con-
stantly at interest and not loaned without in
teresis to iavoFite par,isans to reimburse them
for campaign contributions and for ''work" for
'1he pariy1" Le. the people dispassicnasely
cast their eyes over the figures and Pu, this
and that together and draw their own eOnelu
sions.
"Third. And whereas the republican party
has always eontended for pure electoral sys
TEN" etc. What memories Of the ''purity" Of
the republican electoral system rise up to es-
chant usl A stolen PRESIDENT Another presi-
dent elected by debauehing the electors with
money, avowediy buying them and marching
them to the polls in ''blOeks Of FIVE" CON-
monweallh, the "Gem OF the mountains, |"
jus, emerging into statehood. thrO,iied in her
berth by the fHs hand Of the republican
party. aad the best part Of her present heritage
torn nom her, and last but not least, thirty
ave Of the very men who in that convention,
contend SO very s,outIy for pure electoral sys-
TEN obtained their seats in that body by re-
peating and notorious bribery at the primaries
in Portland. This convention scribe never
perpetrated finer stroke Of sarcasm. And
next come words Of praise Of Thomas D Reed,
that courageous statesman from Maine. F"
Why? lie tore away and sought to oblilera,e one
Of the great landmarks oflhe constitution.
Through all administrations for more than a
hundred years, this sacred eitade Of the mi
nority was never before Invaded. In the long
line Of iliusilious men who have occupied the
speakers chair including the greatest lights
that ever Illuminated our political horizon, no
Statesman" vas courageous enough to do a
deed like that. Perhaps courage" is found
only in these degenerate days ofwhich the illus.
tricus Statesman" from Maine is bright ex
ample. But We grow weary reveling amids,
this richness. Moro mnst be deferred to a
future lime.