The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1910-08-17
STANOPAT|SM A
DECADENT SONG
So Says Peter McGill in Story
Article in Wenatchee
Daily World.

ne uttdlibtlll SNt SbnS lIltN
hoated over the standpat convention
at Tacoma marked, it is to be hoped
the passing of reactionary republican,
ism in the commonwealth of WASH
ington.
The forces of privilege finding
themselves in the saddles, with an
unobstructed course before them,
rode too far in the wrong direction.
Also they shouted too loud. They
shouted so loud for self privilege and
plumber that the people on the out
side began to sit up and take notice.
The spirit of the Guggenheims
brooded over the convention and
dominated it, and, inspired by that
influence, it promulgated principles
that would reduce, and has already
reduced, members of the American
congress to a level with members of
the Russian Douma. They indorsed
both by speech and resolution, a sys-
tenn that endows the speaker of the
house of representatives with des-
potic powers, more far reaching and
absolute than was ever exercised by
the Caliph Harson Alraschid in his
angry robes of scarlet, and they went
on record as favoring a tariff for eX-
tortion as against a tariff for reason
able protection. All this shocked
and amazed the Well-meaning MEM
bers of the party who had hitherto
been beguied and thrown off their
guard by the misleading shibboleth
of party regularity" This explains
the tremendous ovation given to
Congressman Poindeter by the Young
Even the most easy going and
thoughtless of regulars realized that
the republicanism of Lincoln was
being throttled and that PoindeXter
was being attacked and read out Of
the party for no other reason than
that he stands for the principles of
Lincoln. What are the principles of
Lincoln? Fundamentally this: Equal
rights to all; special privileges to
none" Also freedom of thought,
conscience and political action. Sure
ly there is nothing wrong with these
principles, and yet, simply because
Poindexter stood for them, both he
and the Third district of Washington
were disfranchised during his entire
term in congress. DO the standpat-
ters realize what they are doing? Do
they appreciate the logical results of
their principles? Do they deliber-
ately mean to transform this coun-
try from a democratic republic into
a monarchial republic? Shall this be
country of special privileges or a
country of equal opportunities? Poin-
dexter stands for equal opportunities;
his opponents stand for special priv
ileges. Poindexter believes that a
political party is not a group of pol
iticians, each with his following, COM
bining to win the spoils of place and
power. He believes that such an or
gani2ation is not a party-it is a
band of brigands and its appeal in
the name of the party and of party
regularity are mere attempts to be-
guile and defraud the voter for its
selfish purposes. Such organizations
are merely the tools and agents of
laWless interests which know no par
ty, attempt to use all parties, and
practice only the policies of profit. He
would save the republican party from
this.
May | ask how many voters there
are in Chelan county who would be
benefited by responding to the fren-
zied appeal of the standpat Tacoma
convention ana voting special privil-
eye into power to the number of
those who would be so benefited
Are they worth considering as against
the overwhelming number who would
be pillaged by the ascendency of
special privilege?
Ho wmany voters in Chelan Coun-
ty can be convinced by the stand
patters that swollen and dangerous
fortunes are necessary to assure a
reasonable wage to the workingmen
whether he works as banker, mer-
chant, clerk or hod-carrier? How
many voters in Chelan county mag
inc they will be benefited by the con
tinuance of a system that enabled the
steel trust to raise the value of its
plant from an actual physical value
Of eighty million dollars to a flcti-
tious value of a billion and half dol
lars? Is there any voter in Chelan
county so dense as not to know that
the difference between eighty million
dollars, the actual value of the steel
trust plant, and a billion and a half
dollars, it's artificial value, is based
upon bare-faced and unqualified
plumber, and that its earning power
based upon this fictitious value, is
pure and simple loot-loot as naked
and unashamed as was the earnings
Of the Infamous Captain Kidd and his
crew Of pirates? Is the any voter