Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-01-17

they stand ia the line Of promotion
can not be entirely Indifferent TO the
allurements of good fat office, That
Is all right. The Offices must be filed.
aud the desire to ill one is an hon
Orable ambition, il hOnorably pur-
sued. But whether the particular iG--
diyiduals who ill them call themselves
Democrats, Populists or Silver Repub-
licans Is not Uf paramount importance,
so long as they carry out the wishes
OF the people. We are not wildly anx-
! iOus TO turn out one set OF bOOdlers
who are, after all, "goOd fellows, only
to put in another set OF good fellows
who may, after all, be bJOdlers and
run things under the same old system.
We want a radical change in some
thing more than the brand of the
party in power.
II we unite at all, 10 should be on
principles and measures, and the
| ticket should be composed OF those
men, who, in the opinion OF the REQ
pie, would be most likely to carry out
those principles and measures.
Taking the platform first: Free sill
yer seems TO be the rallying cry and il
is good one. We can all agree on
that proposition, and on the direct
issue Of all paper money by the gov
ernment, and plank TO that effect is
absolutely essential in the Union
platform. But the money question,
after all, properly has nothing what
ever TO do with the state government.
The present method of electing
United States senators, which drags
national questions into the state leg
stature, is one OF the evils that re
quire early attention.
Direct laufClafinn iu
burning question Of the day in state
politics, ana 1t is entitled to first
place in the state platform. More
over a declaration 10 favor of direct
legislation means something, which
can not be said of all party utter
ances. 1t is Affirmative and aggres-
sive. 1t proposes certain definite
action, certain specific legislation,
and something for which legislators
can be held not only collectively, but
Individually responsible. Further,
direct legislation is real remedy for
many existing evils, and opens the
way for the cure Of Others. And, |
better still from the campaign stand
point, no man can go upon the stump
aud make an argument against it
without attacking the very principles
on which this government is founded.
Although IL has come TO mean |
somewhat less than any other possible |
combination OF words, OF course it |
would not do to leave out the usual |
and time-hOnored declaration in favor |
of economy and lower taxes. That |
plank has had place in every platform |
Of every party for so long that it |
would be sadly missed il omitted
As for the ticket, that ought to be |
EnlnRfnn Ji |
minence to the pie counter PROPOSE |
tion. The writer absolutely "con-
trolls" but one vote, and only gives |
his individual views, but he believes |
there are many more just like him,
and he does not particularly care in
just what proportion the offices are
'diyided,' among the three parties,
so long as they are filled with true re
formers who will give their best ef-
forts TO the cause OF good government.
Several years ago he Outgrew the child
ish notion that no Democrat could be
trusted and the Populsts we're all
fools. AS a Silver Republican he rec
Ognizes the fact that principle and
patriotism are abOye party and per.
sOnal motives, aud he Is ready TO vote
for reform even though his particular
branch of the service may have but
slight epresentation on the ticket.
Of course, that isn't practical poll
tics" but the masses Of the people are
not practical politicians, thank
Heaven, and they are becoming some
what weary OF the ways OF that
gentry. They wish now to unite and
carry out certain reforms, and the So
,alled leaders will do well to get into
Inc and promote the cause without
giving too prominent consideration to
Ihe division of the spoils.
Salem, Jan. -. 1898.
DAVID BCRR CHASE.