Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-06-05
Washlngtoa Standard
OiN NPIA. WASH.
FRIDAY EVENING, lTNE 5, 1896.
Vinegar Never Catches Flies.


The Po>'-Iat, Uig,ncer of Sunday says
That the Olympia STANDARD growls
because the State capital is not built"
aud then INDUCES in quarter OF a
coiHmn OF abuse of the people OF this
city, for all object that Will appear
clear upon reflection.
Now We object to the term growl,
when it is applied to Il manly digni-
fled statement Of grievances. Webster
says groWl is the murmur OF cross
dog and to growl is "to utter an
angry, grumbling sound" Now our
comments were made more in spirit
Of sorrow than of anger; sorrow for
people who have always been noted
for their magnanimity and good will
towards all parts OF the State and
especially towards the enterprising
Queen City, whose thrift has at all
times been held up as an object for
emulation by them.
There was not q sentence in the ar
ticle, Watchman, Tell Us of the
Night" which justified the "angry
grumbling sound" emitted by the
journal with the hair.triggered name,
wherein it censures the people of this
city, Classics them as mendicants,
and threatens them with a removal OF
the seat of government if thoy do not
cease condemning what they conceive
to have been an unfriendly policy Of
an officer who has been entrusted with
duty of vital Importance to them,
and who the Pr. has set up for U. S.
Senator! There is where we discover
the existence of the milk when the nut
is shaken.
1t will be observed that the very
astute and dogmatic journal leaves no
room for doubt but that it feels that it
is able to apply the corrective rod
should occasion require, in which as.
sumption it again displays its charac.
teristic arrogance and conceit. Fig
ures OF late elections show that the
Pr. cannot by any means be taken
as an infallible index Of popular sen IT,
ment, even in its own bailiwick. 1t is,
at times, when unreasonable, as Wig
orously sat down upon as was its
elder brother, the Oregonian, in our
sister State, last week. When it threat
ems retaliation, because Gov. McGraw's
corns are tread upon, incidentally in
the discussion of public matters, we
believe that it is counting as much
without its host, as it surely is in ad-
vocating a gold standard for COM
munity that is, at the lowest estimate,
four to one against it. The people OF
King county have hitherto shown cor
dial feeling for our town and people,
and We do not believe that the harmony
can be disturbed by the discordant
notes its organ now pipes.
The STANDARD has said and main
tains-and nearly everybody in Thurs
ton county believes-that an invid.
ious distinction has been made in the
policy pursued towards this city in the
construction of public buildings. The
expression is frequently heard that
had Gov. Ferry, or any other fair man.
filled the executive chair, the capitol
would now be in a fair way Of compile.
ton. Our people have seen State
buildings erected with reasonable &C.
lerity, many Of them costly in con-
struction and involving a heavy annu.
al expense to maintain, but without a
Immigrant, and they very naturally
wonder why such aid should prove to
be q handicap instead of a benefit.
The opinion which prevails is based
upon a close observance of official acts
extending over period o! three and a
half years. Whether it is justified or
not is the real matter under dispute.
Gov. McGraw strenuously maintains
that he is friendly to the construction
of the Statehouse as contemplated by
the people OF the commonwealth; that
he has been harrassed by difficulties
which the commission has been unable
to surmount; but he admits that pro-
badly nothing more will be done till the
Legislature meets, and this gives some
force to the allegations of his opponents
who have all along maintained that
this was his (the Governor's) expecta-
ton and desire. 1t is possible that, If
these " difficulties" existed, the execu-
tive would have evaded censure had
his commission taken the people so
vitality interested more into its conf
dence. Newspaper men have ex-
pressed their aversion to the snubs
they have at times received, not from
the capitol commission alone, when in
pursuit of information that rightfully
should be made known to the public.
Star chamber proceedings are not in
accord with our form of government,
and if the Governor, or his organ, OBJ
objects to prevailing opinion, the only
possible chance that it may be wrong
lies at the threshold OF the Commits
sioners' room.
It may be that the Pr. represents
a kicking element to be found in every
community and which report says ex-
lists at Seattle; it may be that this
selfish element has gone so far a. to
lend its influence to interfere with
sale of the warrants while negotiations
we're pending; it may even be true