The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-08-19

ssr~e the time George Turner, OK spo-
sane. arrived in Washington territory be
has either been holding an Office or has
been an svowed candidate for cne- Thus
far he has failed in his ambition. the Re-
publican party never having seen It's way
clear to elect him 10 anything.
During ali this period Judge Turner
has appeared in politics as q Republican,
although az times he has not hedtated 20
Seoudsate party obligations or abandon
common party rules and practices X he
happened to be In . minority and Glanced
70 feel aggrieved However. the judge since
leaving the territorial bench has taken the
stump regularly and expounded stralgh6
Republican doctrins with all rhs vigor Of
man who Is supposed TO believe what be
is saying.
within a comparatively recent period
Judge Turner has undergone great
change OF heart The Republtcanism or
today does no. suit him. although II DIFF
fers in no essential respect from the Re-
puolicanlzrn which he has been preaching
to his fellow-citizens for six or eight years.
AT present tina Judge believes the nscai
and commercial policy Of the Republican
party is all wrong. He IL convinced that
the free and unlimited coinage CT silver
can alone bring the nation back 10 pros
perity. and that the free silver people are
the only people who take a reasonable and
cornmon-sense view of the financial issue
as r now presents Itself
To see how completely Judge Turner has
shifted his position it is only necessary to
recall a speech delivered by him IN Seattle
October 8. 1882. On that occasion he de-
clared that all the Puget sound country
owned. except It's brains and pluck. was
due TO the fiscal and commercial policy of
the Republican party. The report of the
speech which appeared on October Q. said:
MIR. Turner then went into an exhaustive
review of the history OF the Republican
party leading up to It's moneyed policy al
ter the close OF the war and the auesuonof
unlimited greenbacks. From this he
brancaed into an argument against the
free coinage OF silver. declaring that the
greenbsck craze and the silver question
were on a par with each other Ase",ep
ounces were now bought oy the govern
ment under the act OF 1880. II all the Sill
yer OF American production used In the
arts were coined beside IL would add to
the stock OF coinage an amount equal to
90 cents per head OF the people But why
discuss this question? sapposing the wild
est present demands for fat and corrupt
and debased money were granted. would
1, be any easier to get for hose who do
not now have 1T Would you not then as
now have to give some value. some work,
something Of equal value for its
This argument is Just as strong and I'M
answerabls today as 1t was four years ago.
II would seem there could be but TWO rea-
sons which would irnpei Judge Turner TO
abandon IT, One is that he hopes to Sc
cure some personal gain by the abandon
rnent, the other that his environment for
some years has been such as TO compel
him reluctantly to yield to popular c.amor
and go with the local current Both OF
these are very shallow excuses for de-
sorting a party and repudiating principles
which for years have been believed in as
gospel. IL IL impossible OF course, 10
know Judge Turner'S motives or % deter
mine whether in the step he has taken he
has been actnated by personal considera-
tions II Is more than likely, however. that
he has been unable TO resist the growth OF
public sentiment Ia his own town, which
has SO much silver mining country tribu-
tary 10 il. but this is slight commentator
for a man who entertained ssch positive
ideas on finance in Isa2 and who las peen
supposed 20 have the courage & his con-
yictIons.