The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-06-26

against WrOn2uOllS.
Why Are Officials Lax?
But to return to the question,
WHY is it thai the official stream in
point of honesty. ightfOrwardness
fair and open dealings and manliness
of action. sometimes falls so far below
the sOurce-that is, below the people,
the fountain head of the stream? Are
the people themselves entirely free
from blame in this matter? | think
not President Roosevelt, in his
speech at Everett, said:
I'VE are not to be excused as a
people if we do not have the right
type Of legislation. and if we do not
see to it that the public servants Of
the nation and the state fearlessly
honestly and sanely execute the law
without regard to the person affect
ed
But why are We not 10 be excused
as a people if We do not have the
right type of leglslatiOn-if promises
sOlemnly made do not cryStalize into
| legislatiOn-if our public servants
prove dishonest and unfaithful. be-
! traying our interests at the beheSt Of
the forces Of cunning and greed? We
are not TO be excused for this as
! people because if we, as a people, eX
! erCiSed grtG CT care in the selection
Of our public servants this would not
/ happen. People sometimes become
50 immersed in their own private af-
fairs that they fail to devote the time
and attention to public matters that
good citizenship requires. 1t is then
that abuses creep in-abuses that fat
ten upon what they feed until the eX-
/ plOsiOn comes and the masses are
startled by the exposures of the utter
unWOrthiness Of some of those they
have trusted. No man performs his
/ full duty to the state who puts off all
interests in public affairs until cleo
ton day. simply contenting himself
with going to the polls and voting for
the candidate in whose selection he
has had no voice. Party caucuses.
party primaries and party conventions
these are the real source of power.
and every good citizen owes it to him
self and to the state to take part in
these so far as possible and to use
! his influence to see that none but
honest and capable men are placed
on guard. In his Everett speech, the
president said:
o Judge Man.
Il ask that in civil life we Judge
men exactly on the principle by which
you judged your comrades in the great
war by which any man, when he gets
down into the stress Of things. has
got TO Judge the man on his right or
his left hand; in that war in time of
trial, when the marching was hard
when the battle was sore, what you
cared about the man on the right hand
or the left hand was not in the least
whether he was wealthy or not, what
creed he wOrshipped his Maker by.
whether he came from one state or
another, what his birthplace was.
whether he was a banker or a brick
layer, lawyer, merchant or farmer.
What you wanted to know was
whether he would stay put
Choice of Public Officials.
so, for instance, in nominating
and electing a member of the legisla-
: sure you should not care from what
state he halls. nor by what creed he
Worshlps his Maker, nor whether he
Is farmer "a lawyer or a doctor; a
banker or bricklayer or a carpen-
Ter. But what YOU want to know is.
Will he stay put? Will he be faithful
: TO the interests Of the people. living
up to the promises made and pledges
p given before election lay; or will he
} beJray these interests. taking his or
? ders from the infamous and corrupt
, railroad lobby that has been a stencil
IN the nOstriis Of every rlght-thinking
man, woman and child in the state
[ Of Washington? The forces of cum
b nIng and greed, those selfish interests
, desiring 20 block legislation favorable
10 the people. or 10 secure legislation
IN their own Interests. are always on
the alert, seeking to manipulate par
+ T. CaucUses, primaries and cOnven-
k TONS tor the purpose of nominating
Ter office, not representatives Of the
people, but their own creatures. In
CnIs attempt, in which. owing TO the
caIeleSsneSS OF the people. they are
too often successful. they care moth
Ing for political partIes-aIl parties
: looking alike to them. The only way
70 prevent these attempts from be-
! ing successful on the part of the cit
liens: by guarding party caucuses !:
party primaries and party conventions
and seeing TO it that the sentiments
, OF the people are reflected in these
! proceedings. This performance of
civic duties is the price of good gov
eminent. In no other way can this
government be, in the true meaning
OF the phrase, A government of the
people. by the people and for the
people.
False Pretense
. If man obtains money or other
property from you under false pre-
, lenses what do you do? You have him
arrested and sent 10 the penitentiary
And you owe it to yourself and to the
: state to do this-tO make an example
OF him. to the end that others NAV
be deferred from falling into like evil
courses and society is protected.
But is not the man equally culpable.
from q moral standpoint. who obtains
your confidence and your votes under
false pretenses? And yet you cannot
nave him prosecuted and sent to the