Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-02-24
RIGHTS OF MINORITIES

ii is becoming quite apparent the cause
of Senator Allen is becoming, in the
estimation of his friends, a hopeless
one. For many weeks the P.-I., which
by reason of Aliens especial devotion
to the interests of Seattle, undertook to
champion his cause, was filed with
gush under glazing headlines, both
editorial and communicated, which
was calculated to arouse enthu-
siasm, inspire confidence and secure
votes for him. Recently the tactics
have been changed, and now instead
of editorial prophesies of success and
assurances of speedy and brilliant
victory, the scheme is to present to the
members of the legislature the opin-
ions, or alleged opinions, of certain
politicians of the East through a sys-
tenn of special kilograms concerning
the necessity Of Aliens election. Some
kind friend of the senator in Washing
ton is evidently working the wires in
his interest, and the bosses talk of the
importance of allowing the majority to
rule is being revived and applied to the
situation at Olympia. A somewhat
distinguished senator is made to say
that sit is unfair to Senator Allen, and
would be unfair to any man under the
circumstances, to prevent his election
after it is shown that a majority of the
representatives of his party are sup
porting him. The friends of Allen
are now resting his case on that
ground, and it presents the question
fairly Of how far the minority of a
political party is required to sacrifice
Its opinions and regulate its con-
duct by the action of the major
ity. The opinions of politicians
and newspapers upon this subject
seems generally to conform to their
supposed interests. The man who is
with the majority always believes that
it is both wrong and unpolitic for a
minority to have and to act upon
opinions Of its own. 1t is always the
man in the majority who is in favor Of
the caucus rule. So long as men can
be misled upon this question of the
right Of the majority to rule so long
there will continue to be ring rule in
politics and unsatisfactory results in
elections. The true theory is that
neither majority nor minority have
any absolute right to rule the other,
and each has the same right and is I'M
der the same obligations to think and
act for itself and to maintain in every
honorable way the opinions and con-
victions entertained by it. The doc
trine Of the rule of the majority as APP
piled TO legislation and to elections by
the people is undoubtedly correct and is
the necessary and only way of arriving
at conclusions; but it is not the only or
indeed the best way in cases where, as
In the election of senator, the ma
jority spoken of is after all minority
Of the body required to act.
When the mode of electing senators
by the state legislatures was adopted,
party organizations and ring rule, as
those matters are understood today,
had not been invented. 1t was under
stood that the state legislatures were to
be composed of highminded, honorable
and patriotic men, who had in view
constantly the wellbeing of the state
and the growth and prosperity on true
principles of the nation, and that such
bodies, acting in joint convention,
would, by the voice Of majority of the
whole, elect to the senate representative
and patriotic men, and such election
would reflect the honest convictions of
the majority OF the whole body and
would therefore represent the choice
Of the majority of the whole people.
In the changes which come about in
party organization, legislative bodies
are divided between two or more
political organizations, and generally
the weaker party has nothing what
ever to say in the consideration of this
important subject, and the stronger
party is apt to be divided in its choice
in such way that neither faction has
q majority of the whole body. Then
was devised the scheme of applying
the doctrine Of majority rule to the
factions instead Of to the whole legis.
iative body, and in this way the
minority often arrogates to itself the
rights and privileges Of majority, and
too often fear of criticism and purely
party considerations cause men to
submit and sacrifice their honest con-
victions at the command Of the ruling
rings. 1t is to accomplish this that the
effort lie now being made to influence
members of the Washington legislature
in the interest Of the ring candidate by