The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-01-19
A CRITICAL DECISION.


atorial contest is one Of principle, where a
decision is of far-reaching consequence 20
the future Of the party morale IN Wash
ington. There will always be questions OF
personal political rivalries and real or
iancied antagonis.ic interests and sspira-
tons Of section 70 be adjusted within the
party. If We grant the necessity of party
discipline. harmony. unity. as essential
to party efficiency in action, there
must De some tribunal of arbitration for
these personal rivalries and this sectional
warfare. The natural and just mode of
settlement is the will of the majority; the
will OF the majority decides between can
didates in local and state conventions: the
will of the majority is vindicated in the
choice Of local and state government and
in the choice of representatives to con-
gress.
In the matter Of the election Of United
States senator the Republican members of
the legislature fairly represent the will Of
the party majority. The people do not
vote directly at the polls for United States
senator as they do for representative, and
preference is by election OF their repre-
sentatives. By a vote of nearly two to one
for his opponent the Republican party in
the legislature has declared for the re-
election Of Senator Allen. Nevertheless a
marplot Republican minority have forced
deadlock and are trying to maintain it
long enough to defeat the will OF the Re-
publican majority.
If this desperate effort to defeat the
choice of the Republicans of Washington
for senator is successful. by deliberate
Reputation of the rule Of the majority, It
means far more disastrous thing than
mere personal disappointment to the friends
of Senator Allen. So far as his mere per-
sonality is concerned, excellent, admirable
and upright as it is, it is of small
consequence compared with the erec-
ton Of a fatal precedent for the future.
If the Republican majority is not to de-
eide questions of domestic difference and
warfare within the party, then what?
Why then the rule of factions, which
means constant intrigue with the oppo-
sition on the part of one or more factions
to defeat the other. This means, of course,
that the political opposition to the Repub-
ican party will practically dictate its
nominations, since they hold the key to
the deadlock. The result, Of course, is
steady lowering of Republican standards,
both in men and measures, to secure VIC
tory, not for majority of the party, but
for faction of that party.
OF course no party can long survive
system of factional warfare, where vic
tory falls to the fellows who make the best
bid for the support of the political opposi-
ton to their pretended or nominal party
faith. Once depart from the wholesome
doctrine that the majority shall rule in
matters of domestic differences as to men
and measures within the party, and we
have a condition and a situation whose
ultimate is party anarchy and political
lynch law. If the Republican state con-
ventions by a majority vote can not
safely put ticket in the field with
out danger of it being knitted by
Tacoma. by Spokane or by Seattle,
because one Of these sections of the party
has not had its full sweet will in conven-
ton; if majority of the Republicans in
the legislature cannot hope to settle a con-
test between candidates for the United
States senatorshp. but must expect to see
the majority rule defed and repudiated by
a sulky and sulking factional and sec
tiOnal minority, what then? Why then
this stupid insistence that the tail shall
wag the dog will soon or late upset the
party supremacy in the state. Brethren.
let US remember there is an hereafter
in politics; to break the rule of the
majority today is to suck our own
party of its life blood in the
long run. 1t means future that
substitutes for party order, loyalty.
unity, discipline and harmony-in short
party craftsmanship; it substitutes for
these things nothing but burning and bitter
memories of wrongs inflicted impatientiy
waiting for revenge; it means the various
sections of the state welded to the
stupid craftsmanship OF every man
with a knife in his bootleg" watch
ing TO murder his hereditary factional
| foe; it turns the Republican party into
| two barbarian camps Of Ha:delds and Nc
| Coys, waglng the political vendetta with
| the customary result. viz: when the fight
! is over there are no Hatfelis: there are no
| McCoys; they are all dead. disabled. in
| pr N or in exile; so with party that
| leaves the wholesome rule of the majority
for the go-as-you-please intriguing of the
! marplot minority, when the battle is over
there ultimately will he no victorious Re-
| publican party; the leaders on both sides
will have politically knitted, disabled.
| drowned, imprisoned, or sent each other
| into exile.
Intriguing with the opposition to con-
| trve or 10 break B deadlock will in time
| prove fatal to party faith and loyalty, and
! from the habit Of negotiating with the
| enemy 70 deserving 10 the enemy's camp is
| but short step. The action OF the mar
| plot minority means the injection Of early
| death into the clothes of the ra-ty.
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| CLEVELAND AND MURPHY