Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1908-09-08
A SIGN OF THE TIMES.

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The surest sign OF conscious impo
tency In the face Of inevitable defeat Is
q blind eDdeavor to make up for weak.
ness in defense by swiftness and feroc-
ity of attack. A pugilist in the face
OF defeat, will cast aside all efforts fol-
defense and rain aimless blows at his
opponent, hoping against reason that
perhaps one Of them may strike home
and turn the scale In his favor. A
wild beast, crowded to its last corner,
will hurl itself upon the hunters
regardless Of dozen mortal thrusts,
In blind, unreasoning hope that it
may possibly break through and gain
safety, although its efforts are mani
testify vain. The same sign holds
good In struggles OF different nature.
as, for example, an important political
contest, like that which even now is
holding the interest OF the American
people.
1t is a significant fact that while
the Republican press, in the main, has
endeayored to make its arguments in
favor Of the principles Of its party
and the man chosen to represent those
principals, clear and pertinent, and
while they have been to a truly
remarkable degree free from sophistry
and speciousness and the hollow
demagoguery that is 50 prone to creep
into arguments Of a political nature,
the Democratic press has almost as
unfailingly, almost as universally,
followed exactly the opposite method
This may be sweeping assertion,
but it is not beyond the possibility OF
a fairly satisfactory proof.
Let anyone take the representative
newspapers Of Oregon or Of any state
10 fact, for one week, divide them
along the lines OF partisanship, read
carefully their editorial discussions OF
the various phases OF the political
situation, and strike fair average OF
their methods in dealing with the
subject.
True, many Democratic papers
endeavor TO mold their defense and
attack along the Legitimate lines of
logical and consistent argument,
argument which Is bound to have its
weight with any thinking man,
though his own convictions may be
exactly to the contrary. True, into
many OF the editorial utterances OF
Republican organs creeps the vanity
OF sophistry and the empty appeals OF
blank demagoguery, arguments that
can have no weight Of conviction
whatsoever with the voter who regards
each subject carefully before either
sanctioning or condemning it, even
though his whole sympathy may be
with the cause which those papers are
trying to support. Still, when the
average Is fairly struck, these things
do'most plainly appear to the careful
reader, that while Republlcanism is
making "A fair, open, and logical
fight, attending we'll to both attack
and defense. and refraining wonder
fully well from the use Of those weaker
weapons above mentioned, its opponent
is attacking boldly, venomously,
recklessly. almost utterly disregard
ing defense while 1t lays desperately
hold OF anything and everything that
may perchance serve as a weapon
against its opponent.
Every manner Of sophistry Is en-
ployed. some arguments being brought
forward seriously for consideration,
which are so palpably q mere Jug
Cling OF facts and phrases capable OF
convincing no one except he be half
witted or wholly careless, that the
reader often sorrowfully lays down
his paper and wonders IL after all. a
man must be devoid Of a sense Of pro-
portion aud a sense OF humor % be a
successful writer Of "forlorn hope"
editorials.
The fact comes up that Mr.. Taft, the
Republican candidate, is Unitarian.
a fact that has been known we'll during
the past years in which Mr.. Taft has
filled at different times a half dozen
ofiioes OF trust aud honor under the
people OF the United States. and
fact which has, up to the present time.
caused apparently no uneasiness
whatever TO that great people whom
he has been serving 50 well aud faith