Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-10-03
The Party Of the People.

Parties are necessary, under . popu.
lar form of government, to unite
and give expression to the will of the
majority on matters of public policy,
and officers are required in harmony
with it to give force to that expression.
The machinery by which conventions
are held and the ballots are cast and
counted, experience shows is defective
in many respects, and capable at
times of diversion from its true OBJ
ject, while the ingenuity Of man has
been taxed to the utmost to provide
means for i'm provement.
Our government has never been
better administered than when there
were two great parties, about equally
divided on matters of general policy,
80 that each would be required to act
with honesty and fairness to main.
tain or secure ascendency. These
parties are generally the result Of
slow growth, . steadfast devotion to
principle. Their platforms consist of
broad, general and well.de6ned oh.
jects, leaving TO State and county
conventions those details which finally
give distinctive shadings to national
expressions Of principle. This gradu-
alton is wise, inasmuch - it provides
for the deliberate judgment of the
masses, and IN expression which. from
ito broad scope and conservative
methods, may be taken a. the incon.
trovertable will of the majority, the
Voz Del of the Latin proverb.
It Was thought that, by the check
and countsrchscks interposed, from
tho impulsive expression Of the people
in the primaries, through the county
and State Conventions, to the Nation.
81 Convention, that the germ in the
rough.coated burr, the gold in the
rock-bound crevices, would be released,
when the sentiment OF the whole peo-
pie was embodied in the speeches and
acts of the conventions of the nation.
This brings Us to the object we seek
to impress in this article. In the last
Presidential election, 6,368,133 votes
were cast for the Democratic nominee,
William J. Bryan, and 1877 1923 for
the Republican nominee, William Nc
Kinley, with less than 100000 by all
the half-dozen political parties which
sought to obtrude local issues and OBJ
struse theories into the Presidential
campaign. Had much less than the
aggregate number Of scattering popu-
lar votes been distributed in the even.
ly divided States for the Democratic
nominee, he would have been elected,
and the economic measures advocated
with 20 much strenuosity by the fac.
tional parties been achieved through
the only possible means of relief. 50
We say to the Socialists, who last Sat.
urday declared that that they did moi
expect to elect q man, but gloried in
having means presented for consign.
ing their ballots TO eternal oblivion,
that their resolution Is not wise, inas.
much - they refuse to take . step up.
ward because they cannot scale thei,
imaginary plane Of ideal government
1t q bound. They misrepresent the
Democratic party when they declare
that il favors the wealthy classes tc
the detriment of labor, or that it has
. single throb of heart in favor of any.
thing but the patriotic form of govern.
ment Of our forefathers. 1t seems
that steadfast devotion to principle
amid 30 protracted period of defeat,
should be some proof Of sincerity, il
nothing more. All the venality Of
human nature has been tried by the
tests which public plumber affords for
tempting from duty, and long ago the
mercenary element Of the party has
departed for richer pasturage, leaving
it the embodiment of all that is true,
and noble. and patriotic in the human
heart. 1t leaves it likewise the party
OF the people, and as such should be
trusted and receive the support of the
people.
The Democrats have placed in nom.
ination . ticket Of good, true and Ca
pable men. Each and every one of
them Is in accord with the objects of
labor and promotion of economic gov.
eminent. They stand q splendid