Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-09-15
What Washington Said.

Hobart, IN the last issue OF Forum, has
taken up the iconoclastc mallet to de.
mollsh II wise injunction uttered by
the Father OF his Country" in his
Farewell Address, to make it fit the
colonial policy of the Administration.
The public might stand with some
degree OF patience the wiping ont of
the William Tell story of wonderful
craftsmanship, the obliteration of
that beautiful legend OF the boy, the
Ratchet and the cherry tree, and in
fact might be induced to believe that
no snch man ever lived, nor no such
island ever existed, as were the mem
orable creations of Daniel Defoe, but
when an attempt is made to pervert
the language of the Declaration of In
dependence to justify persecution of a
people fighting for freedom, or of the
utterances of the great Washington to
justify imperialism, then we earnestly,
solemnly protest against the Infamous
sacrilagc.
President Jones makes the discovery
that while the first sections OF the all
drcss-those relating to national
unity, party spirit, morality and re-
ligion, education and public credit
are general in their intent and appli-
cable to all times and circumstances,
the fifth section, that treating of
foreign relations, was not general
warning, but simply discussion of a
definite historical situation, recog-
nized by its writer as only temporary.
"This section" says Prof. Jones, ais
specific advice for a specific crisis"
and designed alike to curb the ex-
tremes OF friendly feeling for France,
who had been our ally, and hatred for
England, our enemy in the war that
had but lately closed. While this
may have suggested the conciliatory
and conservative tone Of this part of
the address, there is not a sentence
used which is not as capable of gen.
eral, as specific application, and each
utterance is based upon the hard-pan
OF common sense.
The keynote OF the address &C.
cords with the tone of exalted Ameri-
canism, and the whole subject of COM
ment seems to be embodied in the
paragraph which deprecates "over-
grown military establishments, which,
under any forra OF government, are in
suspicious to liberty, and are to be
particularly regarded as hostile to Re-
publican liberty" The colonial pol.
icy embodied in "imperialism," ne
cessitates such an over-grown, mill
tary establishment" and it is just as
inauspicious to liberty and as much of
menace to free government now as
it was when the admonition was given,
and it is plain to see that a strong
standing-army must, until mankind is
cast in a more perfect mould, possess
temptation for its use where diploma.
cy might serve the purpose infinitely
better. at much less cost and without
the sacrifice of life.
1t seems that Washington had Just
such men in his minds eye as Prof.
Jones, when in deprecating party zeal,
he says:
" However combinations or associa-
tons OF this description political
parties may, now and then, answer
popular ends, they are likely in the
course of time and things, to become
potent engines by which cunning and
unprincipled men will be able to subvert
the will of the people and to usurp for
themselves the reins of the govern.
ment."
And further:
Zone of the expedients of party to &C.
quire influence within particular dis
tricts, is to misrepresent the opinions
and aims of others.''
And that is just what Prof. Jones is
attempting to do in perverting the
language of the great Washington.