The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1896-11-26
The Ofhcial Paper Of San Juan County
THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 26th, 1896
LAST week THE ISLANDER cheer

fully published COMMUNICATION iioi
our esteemed fellow citizen Mr.. Z. T..
Cantine, i'm which he took exception
to some observations upon the results
of the election contained in an editor
ial published i'm our issue of the 18th
inst. Mr.. Cantine's experience and
intelligence, as well as his honorable
reputation in the county, entitle him to
O respectful hearing upon public ques-
lions, and 1t Is for that reason that we
have given publicity to his views upon
a certain phase of local political con-
ditions. He will hardly deny US the
right to dissent from his conclusions,
and we certainly have no disposition
to quarrel with him because of his
opinions, or to invite controversy
with him upon a question which is
nothing more nor less than matter
of individual opinion, the public dis
cussion of which would in all prob
ability be barren of any good results.
He IL not in the least measure justified,
however, in his intlmation that in the
editorial complained of we exceeded
i'm the smallest degree the proper
bounds of what he pleases to call "edi-
torial latitude" or that we assumed in
that article, or have ever assumed in
any other, 1.-The right to speak for any
one else or to play the part of a judge
in Tsreal.n Nor is he justified, in our
opinion, in his virtual assertion, refer
ring to the Republican county conven-
ton, that "one of our citizens had, in
the kindness of his heart, provided
ticket for the convention, and did, by
reason of his great influence and abili-
ty, have it nominated" On the con-
trary we do not believe there has ever
been a convention held in this county
in which there was so little of the
spirit of personal domination mani
tested. Nearly all the nominees had,
by honest and efficient service, we'll
earned the right to denomination, and
1t was the recognition of that fact by
the convention, rather than the Sin
fiuence and ability" of any individual,
that led to their nominations. We
believe that Mr.. Cantine knows this,
and it is in no unfriendly spirit that
we suggest that he would not have
been likely to look upon the ticket as
"a clear case of great influence" if he
had been successful in his own aspira-
lions. If he had been, and we re-
GREETED at the time that he wasn't, for
we regarded the nomination of Mr..
Harrison as unwise under the circum-
stances, he would have received our
most cordial support. But his disap-
pointment is not, in our judgment,
any justification for the position he
has since seen fit to take, nor is it
justifiable on the broader ground that
there is ''need of Republicans who are
independent enough to be something
more and better than unconditional
partisans." We are not inclined to
encourage the elimination of principle
from politics, and If men enroll them
selves in party organizations because
of their belief in the wisdom of GER
tain declared principles, it follows that
they should give their earnest support
to the men who are chosen in open
convention as the personal representa-
tiyes of those principles, and not to
candidates who stand before the peO-
pie as the opponents of opposing ideas.
We hold fast to what Mr.. Cantine may
possibly regard as the old fashioned
notion that man who participates as
. delegate in any convention is moral
ly bound to support its nominees. II
he is not willing to abide by its con-
illusions he should get out and stay
out, and exercise the right of independ-
ept action untrammeled by any such
obligation.