Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1894-12-06
COSIiil NlCNTED.
Practical VS.. Sentimental Politics An
Open Letter to Senator Squire.

faCtttaI Us. sentimental IoiIticS "a
Open Letter to senator Squire.
My DEAR SENATOR do YOU not think
it is about time that you should preach
AMI practice Il little more practical and Il
little less sentimental politics. TO see
the state Of Washington houndering in
the depths OF uncertainty, to watch her
trail along behind states that have not
half he: ;,,ly.t .ta.vs; to splurge and blab
about a tariff on tin plate to keep out the
dreadful Welshmen and forget all about
the salmon Gamer on Grays harbor and
the Columbia river; to indulge in the
various and ever varying claptrap OF the
day with regard to tariff and monetary
questions (on which the wisest thinkers
differ to battle in twaddle and wallow
in rot while other states are obtaining
national aid in the improvement OF their
rivers and harbors and the building up
Of their commerce; to advocate govern
ment appropriations fer the Lake Wash
ington canal in order to make fresh
water harbor to clean the barnacles from
the bottoms Of ships that will never come
there, and neglect Grays harbor, Willapa
harbor, and the other great commercial
harbors of the state; to be blind to every
purpose for which you were sent to Wash
ington, Senator, that is what we call SEN
timental politics. We know that with
two senators and two representatives the
state OF Washington should not forever
be compelled TO sit outside the kitchen
door on the ice box while her sister states
are comfortably seated together eating
pie in the dining room. TIE trouble is,
Senator, that YOU inhale too much of the
air OF Washington city and too little OF
the air OF the state of Washington. You
seem to lose sight OF the fact that you are
merely the representative OF the common
people who are trying to wrest a compe
tence from the soil, the woods, the mines,
and the waters OF this state. Questions
that appear to be OF great Importance to
you do not interest your constituents at
all. You sentimental politicians want to
save the nation. The people sent YOU to
Washington to look out for your state
and let the nation pull through the best
it can. There isn't anything the matter
with the nation that can be remedied by
you. 1t was alive and kicking before you
arrived in Washington, and it will be
alive and kicking after you shall have
left it for good. The nations peril is the
stock in trade Of the cheap-john polti-
clan, OF the demagogue. 1t goes very
we'll in IL mass meeting during the heat
OF campaign, but it doesn't appeal to
the sympathics OF your constituents. Let
Hill, German, Vest, and Brce save the
nation, but if you know what is good for
you, my dear senator, you vii. look out
for the state of Washington.
When Mr. Doolittle stands on the floor
OF the house and advocates the building
OF the Nicaraguan canal he is talking
practical politics. The Ncaraugan canal
would be If more benefit to the state of
Washington i'll one year than the Lake
Washington canal would be in twenty
years. While all this nonsense is going
on the people of Washington are waiting
for light houses and life saving stations :;
vessels are running aground on little bars
that Il few dollars would remove; bust
ness lags because the state of Washing
ton is not represented nor recognized in
the national capitol as it ought to be.
When Il state is offered miserable
twenty-five thousand dollar sop for har-
Dor like Grays harbor, when it ought to
have two hundred and fifty thousand, it
does not strike the intending immigrant
as being in it. People who talk of com
ing TO Washington ask for the names of
our congressman, and when they hear
them say they have never heard OF any
OF them except Mr.. Dooliltle. His fight
for the Nicarauguan canal has made him
valuable to his state. Now, my dear
Senator, one good speech, one sensible
speech, which would tell the world what
Washington is, what she is aiming to be,
what she can be, and what she wants as
a matter of right, would be worth more
to us, my dear Senator, than all the tin
plate tariff talk that you can do in a
thousand years.
Practical politics builds up a state.
Sentimental politics retards or prevents
its progress. Practical politics reaches
out after tangible results. Sentimental
politics goes wandering through the
realms OF space after shadowy things
Practical politics lends a helping hand
to the people. Sentimental politics pre-.
sents them with illusions. Practical pol
itics improves rivers, deepens harbors
encourages commerce. Sentimental pol
tics weaves pictures and asks the people
to fattcn themselves on the wind.
The people of Washington want prac
: tical politics. Let us hear from you my
dear Senator.
PRACTICAL POLITICIAN.