Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-07-23

| he stays into it until he finds some
reason to force him out of it, and often
stays in it after he has found good
reason for going out of it. Just SO
when man is born into q religion OF
under the influence of one denomina
ton, he is apt to remain there until
some pressing reason takes him away
Our environment explains much Ol
our opinions, and our interests have
much to do with our opinions.
found my political philosophy on the
theory that all men are created equal
and that they are very much alike
and that each one is apt to look at
any question from his own standpoint
reasoning from himself outward.
"I remember, when l lived back in
Illinois, in the city of Jacksonville, we
had an election, and the question sub
mitted was whether cows should run
at large. don't know whether any
OF you ever passed through such an
election, but if you ever did, you will
testify to the truth of what / am
going to tell you. There was great
excitement. People gathered on the
streets to discuss the question. One
man would say that the COWS ought to
be allowed to run at large. Grass was
growing in the street, and it was better
for the city that the COWS should run
at large and eat the grass. And you
would find he had q COW. Another
man would say that the cows should
be shut up, as you could not leave the
gate open, but that a COW would enter
and destroy the garden: and you would
find this man had no COW. And when
people came to vote, their votes were
largely determined by the fact whether
they had cows to run at large, or had
none. You know it is true. You
know that the votes OF the people on a
subject efiecting the welfare of the city
were affected by their interests. And
SO it is on all questions.
"When you come to the money
question, you will find there are some
who have cows to run at large. They
want to feed their cows in this instance
in the public pasture; and they are
not even satisfied with that, but they
want to tear down fences and let their
COWS into private grounds. Their in
interests have much to do with the
opinions they express. do not want
you to think / am getting this subject
on a low level. am bringing it down
to level of common life. l some
times find man who says he does not
yield to such impulses, but can never
find man by whom it can be proved,
except myself.
"You can prove by a mans own
testimony that he is not selfish, and
can prove by the testimony of all his
neighbors that he is. ! can prove by
you that all your neighbors are selfish,
and can prove by all your neighbors
that you are selfish. We are all sell
fish.
Let me give you another proof of
this truth. have never heard many
political speeches made in Oregon, but
can give you substantially every
political speech you ever heard, care
not what party it is made in defense
of, or what is its subject. Suppose the
Republicans want to convince the
people they ought to vote for high
tariff; how would the speaker start
out? He first explains what he under
stands by protective tariff, and then
tries to show his audience how q pro.
tective tariff is good for them, urging
them to support policy for their best
interests. Suppose the speaker is a
tariff reformer. Why, he states what
he means by tariff reform, and then
goes on to show how they will be ben
Gifted by tariff reform, and urges them
to support that policy to better them
selves. You never heard a man make
q political speech from platform who
tried to show an audience how his pol
icy would hurt them and benefit him.
The fact is that every political speaker
who discusses any subject, tries to
show his audience or the individual
where they or he will be benefited by
the policy. 1t is absolute truth that
we all recognize, that an individual
reasons from himself out, protecting
his own rights and advancing his own
interests. 1 want you to remember
this, because / want to make it the
basis of much that will say.
al want to discuss bimetallism.
want to show you what it is, why we
want it, and how it can be secured.
want to bring it home to every one of
you 80 that you will know where your
interests are in the matter. If man
believes that he will be benefited by
the gold standard, don't expect to
convert him. Or il he is so situated
that, however much he will be ben
Gifted by the restoration of bimetal-
lism-if he is 80 situated that he dares
not express himself lest somebody will
foreclose a mortgage and wipe him out
OF existence, I don't expect to make an
open and avowed convert of him. /
want to show you where your interests
are, if you are misguided. If you are
just above the freezing point, 1 want