The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-29
Popuiisn Dead.

Democratic philosopher, Fusionist I'M
der exisencies, and ail-round advocate
| os Jacksonian principles as far as spoils
are concerned, announced In Seattle not
long ago that the Populist party in Spo-
kane county was dead Evidently he
was right, and he might have added
that all the details Of the burial were
long ago attended to. Populism has
vanished and as a necessary conse
quence former Populists have returned
to the parties from which they seeded
in moment OF temporary hallucina-
ton, or have resolved themselves into
a sadly reduced contingent which is
chasing new shadows as elusive as the
old
Men who took up Populism in the
| hope that good would come Of 1t were
| grievously disappointed. 1t was all
promise and no performance. Theories
which could be talked plausibly would
not stand the test OF time and reason,
and the more the serious Populist
thought OF the principles his party was
advocating the more inevitable 1t be-
came that he would finally admit he
was on wild goose chase With hard
surroundings II was easy for him to
experience hopes for better things in
a change. but when improvement came.
and not because Of the adoption OF any
of his ideas, It was conclusive that his
remedies were not what was needed
after all.
The sincere Populist also found that,
while he was reformer from princi-
pie, the majority Of those to whom the
destinies of his party were intrusted
were not actuated by the same motives
and impulses. The average leader
proved to be OF clay of the commonest
kind, and too often was deplorably I'M
resisting before temptation. With all
their posing as the champions of pure
government and the foes of political
unrighteousness, those to whom the
Populist private should look up to
proved that the flesh is, alas, but weak,
and that 1t Is just as hard for a re-
former to reform as it is for anybody
else.
When the Populist therefore, looks
for ammunition with which to wage his
campaign he finds his supply depleted.
He cannot talk hard times, because the
times are good; he cannot complain Of
an inadequacy of the circulating me-
dunn, for there is more of it in the
country than ever before, and 1t is cir
culated. not boarded; he cannot talk
corruption. for his own party, when in
power, has everywhere shown itself to
be more VIGOROUSLY bad in this respect
than any political organization it has
by chance supplanted; 1t is impossible
to agitate for relief from the old-time
evils when 1t Is clearly evident that
those evils no longer exist In fact, the
Populist finds that he has little to COM
plain of seriously. and his own party's
record as q breaker of promises has
Deen sucH as 10 iiahc IL iiipoSolpIc loi
him In candor to ask that it again be
allowed to work such changes in the
law as the times may demand.
There is the same Populist disintegra-
ton in other parts of the state as there
Is in Spokane county. There is no rea-
son for the party's existence. and as al
effective political force it has passed
away. Prosperity and reflection have
shown up the more palpable absurdities
of the cause, with the result that men
of better intelligence have forsaken the
party and its vagares. A few remain,
but they may be classed as incurables,
and while they are likely to be hunt
ing phantoms of one sort and another
for many years their numbers will be
insignificant and their influence not
worth mentioning. Washington had Its
attack of Populism, but the recovery
was complete, and there Is no danger
of recurrence of the disease.
People in the Eastern and Middle
Western states continue to inquire