Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1898-10-29

CoLFAx, Oct. 2S.-Ilon. Chester II.
Warner, for nearly 20 years one of the
most prominent democrats of the state,
the leader of this county's democracy,
has announced that he does not stand
with the fusionists, and will not support
their state ticket. In an interview with
a reporter today, Mr.. Warner said he
was taking very little interest in politics
in the county, only 50 far as the demo
cratic county ticket is concerned.
"In the state there are but two par
ties-the republican and populist. There
are those who say If you vote the re-
publican ticket, you will be counted as
republican, think if that is true, the
converse is also true, and democrats who
vote the populist ticket must henceforth
be counted as populsts. Our leaders
tell us that we should keep up the or
ganization, accept the fusion made at
Ellensburg, and follow its advice. | for
one can not see the necessity for main
tanning an organization simply to adopt
the populist platform and vote the pop
ulist ticket. A democrat could do all
that without the aid or continuance of
his party organization.
"How any democrat can find SINH
larity between the populist platform and
the national democratic platform, except
i'll one or two instances, is more than L.
can tell. The populist platform declares
for government money without any re-
demption clause; it declares for the in
itiative and referendum, which, if adopt |
ed, destroys our constitution; for a ma
jority vote then on any question would
be the law-the minority would have no
protection as they have now under our
constitution. Where is the democrat
who has not always been taught to hold
the constitution as the most sacred of
documents in which the liberty of the
indieidual citizen is guaranteed.
"The populist platform declares for
single taxation, by demanding submits
sion OF constitutional amendment for
the exemption OF personal property and
improvements on land. If this is dem
ocratic l have read the history of my
party in vain. All democratic teaching
is that the burden OF government shall
rest upon the citizen i'll proportion to
the wealth and property he owns. De-
mocracy teaches equal and just taxation.
Believing these principles to he dan
gerous innovations in our form of gov
eminent, / cannot, and be honest with
myself, vote for those who are pledged
by their platform to use every effort to
put them in force. But when the dem
ocratic party ceases to flirt with other
parties, or ceases to be willing to trade
off for office the name and the standard
around which so many have gathered for
more than Il hundred years, and fought
to maintain those principles which we
believe to be essential to the perpeJuity
of free government, then again | will
love the party with which l have been
connected for more than 80 wears, and
for whose principles have fought so
earnestly. Until then | shall remain
passive, except in this county, where We
have again raised the true standard OF
democracy, and inscribed not populism'
but the good old word Democracy
That standard shall support, but
where we have no candidates | shall vote
as my judgment dctates-as l expect
every democrat to do after carefully
studying the platforms. If it makes me
less a democrat to vote for republicans
in my county where we have no candi-
dates, then it makes all who vote for pop
ulists less democrats"