Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-02-15
wREcKINo THE POPS.
The Inevitable Result Of a Middle-of-the-
Road Policy.

EDITOR JOURNAL:-The creates
curse OF this country today is tn,
prevalence among voters of the spirit
OF intense partisanship. This il 1,
which makes possible the power OF
the boss and the boOdler in politics
I How long would Joe Simon exist, Do
litically; how long would Boss Platt
hold New York under his thumb; how
long would Mark Hanna control the
, destinies OF the G.. o. P.-if the
Z masses OF even the Republican voters,
( could get just one free, untrammelled
swipe at them How long have the
J decent people Of Oregon and New
York been trying to rid themselves of
the domination Of the two last named
gentlemen, and with what result
They are "smart" these freebooters;
they have their forces organized AID
their wires laid; but at the last resort
depend on the blind, ,unreasOning party
spirit which keeps honest men from
rising in their might to smash the
machine, for fear Of injuring "the
party" The ordinary voter attempts
20 quiet his own conscience with the
argument that the other party is just
as bad, aud that new party is given
over to corruption as soon as il comes
into power So he adopts the hope
less theory that there is no help for
existing evils, and when election time
comes he whoops things up for the
same old gang.
The only check there is on the
| party in power is the floating, the in
| dependent vote. This, when the re-
salt is close, generally keeps them
somewhere within the bounds Of de-
cency, for they wish to retain enough
Of that vote To carry the next cleo
tion. But the hidebound partisan,
the voter they are "sure OF, him do
they utterly disregard. The only
nope we have for better things lies 10
the great and increasing army Of in
telligent, thinking, independent vot-
ers, who dare TO call their souls their
own, who make up their own minds
on questions Of public policy,and have
the courage to vote as their own judg.
ment dictates, without regard TO
party names.
When the Republican party was
founded lover generation ago, by
the way--mOst of 'em are dead now il
was composed of just such men as
that. When the POpulist party was
punded, only few years back, il
must have been made DIP Of voters
who had fOrsaken their old party as
sOciates for the sake OF principle Yet
now we see that same old indefensible
partisan spirit creeping out among a
few of the POpulists.
They are not willing to go into
union movement, from the avowed
fear that IL would weaken the Popu-
list organization, If there is any
thing on earth that will weaken
that organization, that will strain it
at every joint, that will leave 1t a col
lapsed and battered wreck on the
shores of time, II will be the attempt !
TO keep its voters out Of the union
movement, ii the attempt Is success
full. If The little coterie of the |
middle-of -the-roaders make a square
and honest fight to keep their com
rades out, but fail, and then grace
fully accept the situation and join in
TO help on the victory for reform; in
that case the effect will not be so bad |
But II they prevent a union of forces,
or defeat union ticket by running a |
third ticket, and throw the election |
TO the boOdlers, then look out The |
Populist party in Oregon will be |
deader than Thompson's colt, and the |
middle-of.the-roaders will have only |
themselves to blame.
And what do they want, as a basis
OF union, that is not freely granted |
them? They say that free silver is |
dead. Now free silver Is not dead, by |
a jugful, but suppose it were; In that |
condition 1t certainly wouldn't bite |
them. They surely do not object to
the free silver itself,so long as we have |
free gold. They believe in the aboi-
tion OF National banks, and in the |
issue of all currency directly by the
national government. So do we.
The most earnest of them say that |
direct legislation Ia of the most vital |
Importance. The most of us are al
ready as one with them on that propo-
sitlon, and the rest Of us will join in.
What more do you want, gentle
men? State your desires. Don't con-
tent yourselves with general abuse Of
the Democratic party, The masses Of
all parties are honest. There are
even some true men still wearing the
shackles OF Republicanism, who, could
they be brought to see the light,
would reach for 1t. Don't go on for
the next decade kicking about some
grievance OF the past. Look ahead.
We are willing TO meet you more than
half way IL you will only say what
you want. Don't sit back on your
"and howl and howl and
howl and howl, " like lot of dodgasted
coyotes.
The fact that there are, in the
background, minor issues on which
we may not all be agreed need not
prevent us from working together for
those principles on which we are all
agreed. Ii man in Portland wished
10 come 10 Salem, he might with rea-
son decline To take even fast train
for Forest Grove, on the ground that
10 would be going out Of hls way; but
should he object To taking the Salem
train, on the ground that some OF the
passengers would intend To get off
lt Oregon City and Others to take the
Lebanon branch, then he would be \
called a-well. not a wise man. Yet
he would be in very much the same
position as our friends, the middle-of-
he. roadeis, who, because we will not
all come into their ear AID pledge /
ourselves 10 go as far as they do, refuse
20 trayel on the same train with us. II
Thlnk these things over earnestly, \
and you will see that you ,
|