The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1911-06-10

IunQdIneuJdl PIihclplcS upon
which to rear an enduring polit-
ical or economic superStructure
it is a party of expedicncy pure
and simple. Take away protec-
tive tariffs, subsidies and boun-
ties divest it of government
patronage and special privileges
which are the very life blood Of
the Republican party, and this
once victorious party, bankrupt
of principles and barren of hon
or, with naught but broken prom
ises and unfulfilled pledges to
show for the trust reposed in it
by a confiding electorate, immed-
lately divides into rival camps
and hostile bands, each jealous
of the loot acquired by the other
and ready to fall upon and an
nihilate each other. This is the
condition in which we find the
Republican party today, and
from it's ranks into the Democra-
tic party are coming thousands
of men whose eyes have recently
been opened to the misrepresen-
tations and false pretenses used
to secure their support in the
past. All these will help to
swell the ranks of the Democrats.
President Taft is wholly dis
credited in this state. That he
is totally deficient in political
leadership is a fact universally
admitted, but that deficiency has
perhaps nowhere produced more
disastrous results for his party
than in the State of Washington.
Here his attempt to bring about
harmony has only resulted in ac
centuating the. differences be-
tween the hostile factions. The
result is that 1--WE have a con-
gressional delegation consisting
of three ''insurgents" and two
"standpatters'' who are scarcely
on speaking terms and who are
constantly at Legislative cross
purposes. Washington's stand
ing and Influence in Congress is,
as might be expected under these
circumstances, nil.
Furthermore, the president s in
sulting attitude toward Alaskans,
his unrelenting opposition to self
government for Alaska and his
indecision and procrastination--
if not downright cowardice-in
disposing of the Alaskan coal
claims, have done more perhaps
to hurt this state commercially
and industrialIy than all other
things combined. Had Alaska
and Alaskans been treated just
ly and fairly and in accordance
with established usage and Gus
tom, there would be twice as
many people there as at present
with the result that we would
be doing an annual business
amounting to one hundred mil
lion dollars instead of fifty. Alas
ka now has 10000 inhabitants.
When the territory of Washing
ton was created in 1853 there
were but 5000 inhabitants with
in the territory, mostly scattered
along the shores Of Puget Sound.
When Michigan, Nevada = and
other states were admitted into
the Union as states they had few
er people than Alaska now has,
yet Taft and his party treat the
Alaskan pioneers as though they
were outcasts and criminals, and
the mineral resources Of that
wonderland are Theoretically seal
ed by executive orders and bu-
reaucratic methods heretofore un-
known in American history and
wholly without authority of Con-
gress. Next to the hardy pion-
eers of Alaska, the people of
Seattle and the State of Washing
ton are the chief sufferers, and,
knowing the president is chiefly
to blame for this outrageous sit
uation, they will do eloquent and
exact justice to him on election