The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-11-18
THEORY VS.. PRACTICE.

Gen. Weaver tells the Peoples party that
"the suffering people will obtain no relief
from Cleveland" Gen. Weaver was very
careful not to tell this to 'the suffering
people" before election. On the contrary,
the Peoples party was worked everywhere
for all it was worth for the benefit of the
Democratic party. Had the election been
close between the two great parties the al
lance of the Populists and Democrats to
steal Republican states from Harrison
would have thrown the election into the
house and elected Cleveland The Peoples
party, so far as Weaver was concerned,
was political cipher in any event, and it
was significant figure only because it con-
sented to fuse with the Democracy in sure
Republican states in order to help elect
Cleveland by defeating any choice by the
people.
The Peoples party campaign was every
where conducted in manner TO help the
Democracy, hurt the integrity of the Re-
publican party and cloud its chances of
victory. And yet after the election
Weaver impudently tells his party that
1.-THE suffering people need expect no re-
lief from Cleveland" Why then did the
managers of this party of ''the suffering
people" do their best to defeat Harrison
and elect Cleveland? They were either
very great fools or arrant knaves to help
elect a man from whom the suffering
people can expect no relief" In close
states it is perfectly clear that ''the Peo-
pies party" voted the Democratic ticket,
and in sure Republican states the Peoples
party hob-nobbed with the Democracy
from first to last. In Washington
the war waged by the Peoples
party was against the Republicans
and the Republican plat form rather than
against the Democratic party and its plat
form. The logical effect of preaching the
gospel of discomfort, and prophesying ca
lamity was to make labor vote. not the
Populist. but the Democratic ticket.
If Gen. Weaver and the rest of the Pop.
ulist leaders could not see that the pres
ence of their party in the field and its
preaching calamity present and to come
was to increase the number of maIcon-
Cleveland rather than throw away their
votes On Weaver, they are fools; if they
did see it what arrant political knaves and
hypocrites they are today to tell their mis-
guided followers that 'the suffering peo-
pie will obtain no relief from Cleveland. :"
Why then did they permit the party Of
''the suffering people" to be fagrantly
used TO help Cleveland's election? Gen.
Weaver and his associate managers of the
Peoples party, high and low, are either
self-confessed political fools or frauds.
Gen. Weaver speaks of 1.-THE almost an
initiation of the Republican party organ
ization." This is absurd. The Democratic
party press and public men do not talk in
this way. They know that no party that
stands for distinct policy, illustrated by
thirty years of practice, is annihilated by
being beaten by party whose policy is
but a theory that remains TO be reduced to
practice. When the Wing party was beaten
in 1892 is had nothing left TO do but dis
perse, for as prO-slavery party it had
been ou1bidden by the Democratic party.
On the dominant issue of slavery the
Wing party had no further excuse for ex-
istence; its pro-slavery bid for Southern
support had been contemptuously rejected
by the South for that of the Northern
doughface Democracy The Wing
party could no longer fight on
the Old obsolete Webster Wing
lines OF pro-slavery craftsmanship.
SO the Wings disbanded and went in
search Of new idea and a new policy on
which it was possible to carry the coun-
try The Wings and Democrats OF anti
slavery leanings gave the right hand OF
fellowship to the Free Sellers, and the Re-
publican party was born; party with an
idea thaI was not obsolete
The Republican party is sure TO remain
with is organization intact and its policy
unchanged until the Democratic party
mas reduced its theories 10 practice If
the reduction OF Democratic tariff theories
10 practice makes for the maintenance of
the present prosperity of the De opie and
fuldlis all the promises of radical tariff re-
form il has made without inviting and in
dieting disaster upon the labor and the
'
enough TO talk about the Republican party
and its policy OF protection having outiived
its usefulness. but untll the Democratic the
cries Of tariff reform have been reduced to
successful practice the Republican party,
as The party of al idea that has been re-
duced 10 practice and kept in practice
with excellent results for thirty years. is
in not the slightest danger of annihila-
ton. or even transient dispersion. 1t may
seem TO scatter 10 forage and feed, but il
Will be sore 10 concentrate for battle with
fI..l ranks. Il says 10 the Democratic
party: The record of our idea reduced 20
policy ana put in practice is before you.
Beat 1t il you can; but until your theory
has horne successfully the test of expert
ence the Republican party will not dis
band for reorganization upon a platform
OF new issues.
The Republican party appeals from