Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-10-30

A correspondent of the Ore9onian
writing under date of the 22d from
this city, has this to say of the speech
of Robt. Bridges, delivered in the
Bryan-Rogers club rooms, Wednesday
night:
Candidate Bridges delivered charac-
teristic harangue here last night. 1t can
be truthfully said, quoting former Dem
ocrat as authority, that the talk did more
harm than good for the Popocratic cause,
for when a man of Bridges stamp at
tempts to attack the personal or official
character of the late L. r. Grimes or of
w. T. Forrest, before an Olympia audi
ence, he carries his dirty wares to very
poor market.
The characteristic harangue" was
a mastery array of facts and figures,
which opened the peoples eyes wider
to the brace-game of the State con-
spirators than any speech of the CAM
paign. Bridges began by stating that
he had nothing to say personallyof the
State Auditor or the State Land Com
missioner, that he believed them both
to be gentlemen, and his speech
throughout was notable for the entire
absence of abuse or exhibition of party
feeling. 1t depended solely for its
weight upon the figures taken from
official reports, and if they constitute
"dirt," the dirt came from the dirty
digits of the men who made them.
If the talk odd more harm than
good" as the correspondent so brazenly
declares, the assumption is by no
means borne out by the most palpable
evidences of the effects produced. When
an army veteran, as one of its effects,
tears off his Mckinley badge and SUBJ
stitutes Bryan button, which he now
proudly wears; when men who had
hitherto been Republicans, the next
day said, "Why were not such speeches
as that made earlier in the campaign?
The people have been, and many of
them are still deceived in the methods
which have resulted in public and pri-
vate bankruptcy" when the Bryan
roll has been augmented by score of
recruits from that single speech; it is
useless for the turn-coat Qor revenue)
correspondent OF the Oregonian to as
sert that at did more harm than
good" The effect will not down at
the bidding, and the very fact that
Robert Bridges speeches call forth
more exhibitions of spleen from the
tax-eaters than any Others, is an indi-
cation that he strikes the bull's-eye"
oftener.
Then note the attempt to belittle
this man of the people by the express
sion, "a man of Bridges stamp! 1t
may be true that Mr.. Bridges does not
wear a silk hat nor patent leather
shoes; it may be that he has not been
schooled to lift his hat with that Ches-
terfeldian grace which the American
mobility" practice so assiduously to
acquire; but honest men can detect in
the ring of his voice the tone of sim
cerity and sympathy which goes out
from heart to heart in this hour Of
sore distress. They find in his hearty
grasp of the hand thrill of the man
hood which impels the masses to make
struggle for that liberty which has
been the boast of free government,
and that has been slowly, steadily slip
ping from their grasp under the DOM
ination of the would-be upper crust of
"sassiety."
Robert Bridges is working man,
tits true; but he is modern Cincin-
natus. While the Roman of old was
taken from the pillow by his apprecia-
tive countrymen to save the Republic
from the aggressiveness Of the patri-
Clan host, Robert Bridges was taken
from his pick in the mining shaft, to
perform like patriotic service for his
fellowman. That he is doing it well
is told by the cries of anguish which
follow his vigorous strokes for honesty,
for economy, for pure government and
return to conditions that presage
prosperity.