The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-02
SEATTLE. MONDAY. APRIL 2.
Getting Near to the People.


country in favor of bringing the gov
eminent nearer to the people" said Mr.
Bryan at Colfax the other day. The
idea to which he gave utteranee is not
a new ono. It has been a useful Dem
ocratic phrase for years II there Is
one thing more than another which the
average Democratic orator has been dis
posed to deprecate 1t is the alleged cen
traiization OF authority in the hands of
the few ap distinguished from the JEFF
fersonian notion of reposlng all power
In the people. To let the people govern
themselves Is old fashioned Democracy,
and in theory. at least. that is what the
Democratic party Is supposed to live up
to.
In practice. however. Mr.. Bryan will
find that his followers I'm this part OF
the country have wandered far away
from the lines laid down by the fathers,
and that It will require something more
than sharp reprimand to bring them
back to a respect for first principles,
Only few weeks age there was mu-
nicipal campaign In Seattle. A Republi-
can convention composed of s4s dele
gates met according to American Gus
tom and after few hours of orderly
elaboration nominated ticket. That
ticket was acceptable 10 the Republican
party as being one nominated In open
convention by representatives regularly
chosen TO perform that duty II was
the voice OF the Republicans of the city
expressed in the ordinary way
Shortly afterward, small, corterie OF
people processing to be nonpartisans
named a ticket Their the Democratic
party met to agree on nominees. and
showed its enthusiasm for the men
named by authorizing a small commit
tee to demollsh the ticket, should such
q thing be necessary in order to effect
fusion. The Populists did not even hold
primaries. They met in a sort Of mass
meeting engineered by few single
takers and indorsed the nonpartisan
ticket. Then a few committeeman from
sll Of these factions assembled In a bank
Office and behind closed doors threw all
o. the tickets overheard and cooked
up" a new one which proved satlsfac-
tory to themselves or at least as much
- as Is usually the case with a decker
for spoila.
The deal having been contaminated.
the ticket agreed upon by the few be-
came the official ticket for the many.
The people had nothinS to say as TO
whether Il should be accepted or re.
Jected as fusion ticket II was not
referred back to any conventions for
Endorsement Government was brought
no nearer 60 the people than suited the
sweet win Of q sman midnight confer
enec Of wranglers. These latter were
the people Tor the moment. To be sure
the SILVER Republicans met In conven.
ton after the spoils had been divided
cay which representatives of their own
party should he honored. II was all
Some for them without waiting for the.r
ala or consent. In fact. the entire NJ.
sloTAprceecdipg was one 81 the most
yidiaiiegs burlesqnss on democratic
Eoveemnent that has been recorded In
thns3nrt Of the country since the Unite 4
Ftases expanded 10 the forty ninth par
siicL
Curiously. a similar farcc was played
tn the city which Mi Bryan viii visit
tomorrow. The Republicans % Tacoma
recently held their oaueuses and prl-
tnaries and some 2eao registered voters
Expressed their VIII. which In due course
~ time was carried out The Democrats
sad repulists. however. did not see az
O. 40 70 this unnecessary trouble. They
were willing 20 denounee centralized
power, bat for some reason or other {
Mas not deemed sxpedient to let the
PEOPLE speak out And so a few eN-
efiieeholders met IN star session, Ovid
cd the piums 70 suit themselves and
then announced that the people believ-
big in fusion had spoken. II was the
tailnrs of Tooley street over again.
SD sho~sAhow che sentiment in favor