Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-09-02
Reaching for the Persimmon


the political situation, in which lac
Uhe judge abuses the Pnpuli>tS and
the party lie deserted two years ago
with Il vigor that cannot fail To- ingra
tiatc him into the good grace OF tn,
Republicans sufficiently to cntitlc him
to Il front seat on the mourncr'> bench
ii not place Immediately beneath the
dripping, OF the sanctuary, where Mr.
Linn had fUndlv imagined he alone
had found probati"nal favor
IL may seem little strange that al
original Blue Gra>~" Democrat
should throw off the disguise which
the goldhug Democratic" movement
afforded in aiding the enemy from am.
bush, but then, we have always re.
gardcd the Judge" as an honest man,
despite his political ohliquity, and we
now commend his candor, although it
involves an absolute surrender of old
time principles, 4 - crossing of the Ru-
bicon" rs it were, and landing in the
very midst of the ranks of lifelong
enemies, who favor protective tariff,
government by injunction, fostering of
trusts, and all the other hercsies he
once SO thoroughly abhorrcd.
That he possesses all the zeal OF q
new convert is shown by the way he
asserts that a magnificent victory
may be won by the Republicans this
fall if they will but follow his advice:
to nominate the "cleancst" and
strongest" men, and "exposc the
hypocrisy and mendacity OF the Pop
ulist leaders"
As these Populist leaders are fully
able to take care OF themselves, when
it comes to a jar-bonc" contest, we
leave the task of a Sampson to them
and quote paragraph from the
Z" Judges" three-column diatribe to
show with what vigor he yields his
Faber although it has been nibbed for
an unrighteous cause. We must say
We admire his vigorous English, how
ever much his apostacy to the grand
old party OF the people must be dc, pre-
Gated. Hear him:
Two main lines of attack, let me re-
peat, should be pursued: LIST. The peo-
pie should be brought to see that good
government, whatever may be its out
ward form, is not matter of abstract
principles that can be reduced, like
mathematical problems, to theorem,
nor is it concrete thing that like corn
shelter or an ice cream freezer can be
made bran new out of hand per order.
This is the idea your sincere, dead-in-
earnest Populist has. He thinks that a
system OF government can he thought up
on the street corner in less than fifteen
minutes, and that then all you have to
do is to get control Of the law making
power and "pass an act" 1t is true
that the history of the human race
teens with thousand and one lessons
to the contrary, and that every man of
mature age has witnessed during his
own life, the futility of legislation that
is not grounded in human trial and ex-
perience, but your reformer" never
reaches mature age. He may get to be
an old man in years but what brains he
has do not ripen. His wit is as thick as
Tewksbury mustard. Read, for instance,
" The Irrepressible Conflict" by John II.
Rogers, the Populist sage of Puyallup,
and (God help usD the present governor
of the State of Washington. II it was
worth while could make some quota
tons from this rare book that would
make man like Edmund Burke stare
Nor will we mar the effect of the
dressing down" Mr.. Allen will receive
at the hands of Representative Lewis,
before the campaign closes, especially if
the Judge receives the coveted judi.
cial plum that has hung so long at the
end of his nose. If the "Judge" finds
any satisfaction in " shooting arrows at
the sum-" it would be cruel to deny him
that privilege, especially as the target
is a young man who, through his own
unaided exertions, has attracted more
attention for his matchless eloquence,
has ELECTED more comment from the
depth of his varied information on all
topics, and has been accorded higher
honors and more marks OF distinction
than any other Congressman from the
far West. If Judge" Allen had made
for himself a scintilla of the reputa-
ton that "Dude" Lewis has achieved
there might be some plausible pretext
for the challenge to cross weapons. 1t
may be, however, that it is done to d.
rect attention to his temerity and Gan
object never to be forgotten or lost
sight of place himself in the line for
official favor from an exhibition of the
scars he will bear of conflict.
"Judge' Allen, like Judge" Dial,
doubtless believes in the tendency of
all natural results to follow in cycles;
that when any given course has been
followed by train of events that has
produced a definite result, that the
same course is likely to do precisely
the same thing second time, and so
on indefinitely. But they must not
be too hasty in accepting as a "theor-
EN-" the fact that became a man like
Judge Aver may give good reasons for
a change of political faith, and be
seated upon the judicial bench by the
party whose cause he espouses, that
anybody may "cOme out in letter"
just before the nominating conven-
tions are held and be carried to success
with a hurrah. Mr.. Aver was not a
chronic office-seeker; he never wore
sack cloth and ashes because his
claims" had not been recognized, but
when his party adopted a policy the
exact Onposifa IF thot which - had &c