Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1902-10-02

You and / and the rest of us have little
more to say about the selection OF the
man who, tor six years, shall represent us
in the chiefest law-ma!sing body of the
world than ii we weie wanderers in the
desert or disfranchised because Of crime.
and sometimes, the unpatriotic ambitions
of selfish men have caused sovereign (?)
commemorative to remain without rep.
resentation in the senate for almost a
full term-vide Adnicks of New Jersey
and Corbett OF Oregon, as well as the I'M
fortunate senatorial deadlock in this
state in 1898.
Steadily and strongly the sentiment is
growing that the people--the common
people-they whom Lincoln said God
must love because He made SO many of
them-must be permitted to vote directly
for every Office or issue that involves the
discharge Of public duty. In the begin
nlng. it was intended that the judiciary
should havea life tenure of office and it
was in line with this thought that the Su-
preme court of the United States was
fashioned. Nothing but death, resigna.
ton or impeachment will create va
cancy in this stately body. The people
understand it to be the greatest and best
legal tribunal Of all the earth, yet it has
not been entirely free from criticism, and
the criticism runs to the idea that under
u democratic Tor, republican, if you
piease,) form of government no man
should have life tenure of any office
where the rights and interests of the
whole people are affected; rather does
the idea apparently obtain of limiting
the tenure of all offices to a fixed term OF
years and making it impossible for the
same man to twice be incumbent of the
same Office.
This twhile not wholly in accord with
my personal views) is the expansion Of
Democracy. AS the world widens, so do
men broaden. They see no longer "thro'
a glass, darkly," but look out with clear
eyes into the light OF the political day,
pacing man before party, principle be-
for expetllency. One need fare no farther
away than our own bailiwick. With no
suggestion OF animadversion to the dis
tinguished gentleman on other tickets,
the people OF King county, two years ago,
broke away from party associations, Sc
lected Ed f,adihee and Walter Fulton
from the democratic ticket, because OF
their peculiar fitness for the spective
position Of sheriff and prosecuting at.
torney, and elected them on the face of a
heavy republican majority in country and
city. l am one of those who believe the
people can be trusted always to do the
right thing; were not would not be
democrat. The people, collectively, as
we'll as individually. make mistakes, but
they always rectify them and pay interest
in the bargain.
The initiative aud referendum will
come not in it's present form, perhaps,
for no reform comes without patient toll
ing and much thought; yet, not always
will the people of this republic submit TO
a system that takes from them the very
rights which Valley Forge and York
town gave to them. 1t may be a far
look into the future, but after many days,
the political convention will go; the Sc
lection Of United States senators by the
legislature will go; the selection of the
president and the vice-president by an
electoral college will go, and SO will all
the other falsities OF our government
that the years have given us. This is
not the acquisition OF alien lands and
alien people, but the coming into our own.
1t must he so, for the republic must live.