Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1891-01-09
The Senatorial Question.

The Senatorial GueStlOn.
The political pot is boiling vigorous ,
ly. The question OF who is to succeed !
Senator Squire Is the all-absorhlng
topit .. conversation on the street cor
ners, in tie hotel Hobbies and the halls
of legislation. Everything in the field
of politics. the past few days has been
made to hinge upon the action which 4
will lee taken on the Goth instant 10y
the LEGISLATURE, and thus the session
oi siXty days will he shortened 10y
fortnight wasted in Il useless wranglc
and sanguinary contest for the SUI
premacy Of one or the other of the .
party factions. 1t is an object lesson
which should not be lost The time .
consumed in purely personal and
strictly partisan contest, belongs to
the people, and should be devoted to
the consideration OF wholesome leg
islation, so much needed in the new
order OF things resulting from State
government This bone OF contention
should be removed from the Legisla-
turp. The people should elect all re-
Preventative officers, and the sooner
an amendment to affect this change is
formulated, the better it will be for
the people.
The Senatorial contest, SO far, has
been W.. 10y the adherents OF Sena-
tor Squire and Judge Calkins. 1t has
been extremely bitter, and enough
good reasons have been given to bury
both aspirants in one broad political
grave. 1t is said that Squire has no
higher conception of duty than the
giving of dinner parties in Washing
ton, with weekly visits to high-toned
clubs in New York City. 1t has been
shown that he has been absent from
duty repeatedly when his services fol
the State were needed in the Senate
His labors have been productive of alb
solutely nothing to commend him fol
reelection. Judge Calkins is said tC
be eminently political adventurer
He came to the State for Office a shor
time ago; he has remained fer office
and if he fails to get the Senatorial
plum he is ready to depart for any
other climate where the fruit is ripen
ing.
1t seems strange that any consider
able number of men who respect thei
manhood should pin their faith to an,
mans coat-tail. and especially tc tina
of such hyfalutin mass of pomposit,
as Squire, or such mercenary schem
er as Calkins. Why should any mel
bend the knee to those who regar,
them as so many pawns on the board
to be moved solely to win the gam
and then thrown into promiscuou
heap till needed again? Why shoul
the God-given intellect of man b
prostituted to such base occupation
as building stepping-stones for heart
less demagogues. who laugh in thei
sleeves as they climb over the neck
of their fellow man?
The Republican party-if the ma,
must be Republican-has many mel
of far better judgment than Squire
and with much greater incentive TO
zeal than Calkins. 1t has men VIII,
can sway the giants in Congress b.
more potent means than the grace o
Chesterfield, and those who can urg
our claims with the potency of al
earnest conviction, which will swa,
when professional chin-music" fails.
Let the sturdy yeomanry OF our be
loved State shake off the snackle
which the party leaders have forged
let them repudiate the dose whicl
scheming politicians have prepare,
for them to swallow; let Seattle an,
Tacoma unite on some man who will
deal with either in impartial justice
and the strife will be allayed which
can be production of no good and re
suits at times in positive injury.
The Tribune accuses the Capital O
a sudden change of opinion on tn
question of the U. s. Senatorship, an,
the Capital claims that it was neutra
in the matter until it had careful
looked over Thurston county and a
certained the wishes of the Republi
cans" That was an eminently prone
way OF arriving at just conclusion,
the Capital is, as it claims to be, tn
peoples advocate. But what puzzle
us is, how this accurate survey of til