Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-12-08
Rhetorical Juggling.

The Post-Intelligencer is still COM
menting at such times rs something
new overcomes its expansive mind,
upon the late unpleasantness in the
Dewey household at Washington 1t
now charges the people with inter-
meddling with Dewey's private affairs,
and thus endeavors to make this aw-
full crime the sole producing cause OF
the big middle. Now the making of
a deed, the copying of the instrument
upon the public records, a transfer
to other parties and, in fact, every
thing appertaining to such transac-
tions, is public property, so far as the
mere knowledge of their taking place
is concerned. These things, and the
records upon which they are spread
according to law, are supposed to be
rs open to public scrutiny as are the
proceedings in our courts of justice.
The last issue of the big morning
daily of the Queen City, gravely NOR
allies as follows:
Unstable and unsubstantial is the
kickshaw of popular favor. Like pyr-
amid poised on its apex the least
change from equilibrium will cause an
inglorious downfall, and like rare per-
fume exposure to the open air will soon
completely dissipate it.
This sentiment is exquisitely
worded, and is every whit true, of
course, and everybody knows it. But
again, the oracle speaks. Hear him:
1t is said with truth that Republics
are ungrateful, and the observation is
even now being applied to the heroes OF
Americas latest wars.
Nor will anybody dispute that asser-
ton. Dry and trite as all this pretty
talk is, the P.-I. had a deep laid rea-
son for stating it, which was, EVIDENT
ly, to afford the willy writer an oppor-
tunity to simply indulge in what
Bishop Whately in his treatise on
rhetoric calls "Spurious Oratory," a
literary trick to hoodwink the reader
and beguile the senses while lettering
for display on the logical pathway
from premise to conclusion. But
listen again:
A part of the people, who were most
vociferous in shouting approval when
Dewey unwillingly was made popular
idol, have been quickest to attempt to
bedaub him for choosing not to take the
public into his confidence when attend
ing to his own affairs.
Now this is merely an assumption
of the ponderous writer, as he we'll
knows, bu. something had to be said
as a context to synthetical arrange
ment of the proposition with which
he was struggling.
The Deweys are not kicking against
the people for intermeddling with
their private affairs. They, them
selves, and their sycophsntic support
ers, know very we'll that this is not the
true cause OF discord and unhappiness.
1t is nothing more nor less than the
simple truth, however, that the Dewey
household are mad as march hares be-
cause discerning public should have
dared to criticise the hasty and un.
warranted disposition of the nations
token-a gift to the man it delighted
to honor.
The alleged charge of intermeddling
vanishes into thin air for the simple
reason that there has been no inter-
meddling at all in the matter. There
was q reasonable element OF wonder
ment in the minds of candid people,
and especially so in those of the SUBJ
scribers to the Dewey fund, that he
should transfer the property to his
wife and thence to his STRIPPING son on
the same day the munificent gift was
decided to himself.
Now there is an unwritten chapter
in this mixed-up affair which. whether
true or not, may serve to divert the
inquiring mind towards reasonable
solution of the matter. Newspaper
readers, or many OF them, at least, will
remember that when the Dewey home
project was first suggested by his
friends, even prior to his arrival in
New York harbor, one important ques-
ton was discussed by the fund COM
mittee having the matter in charge.
(Which will be the better way" they
reasoned, "to make a clear deed in
fee simple to Dewey, or hold the prop
erty in sacred trust to be enjoyed as a
home by himself during his lifetime,
and thereafter by such deserving
heroes as may come after him." AS
the sequel showed, the projectors de-
cided that the first proposition would
be the better course to pursue, and
everybody knows the result. Now the
assumption may be true or not true,
but there are shrewd people who are
fully persuaded that. Dewey, like all
provident husbands and fathers want
ed to make an apparently sure thing
doubly sure, and thus in order to pre-
clude the most shadowy possibility of
poverty for the loved ones, he put the
property at once safe distance out of
his own hands. This is the suppose.
tional trick at which well-informed
people are incensed and the discovery
OF this feeling the barn door at which
the old war horse is kicking.
Does the Post-Intelligencer now see
the pointg OF course it does, and it
has known and seen it all along, but it
was not expedient, under the delicate
circumstance, to sneak ont and tell