Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-01-31
REVAMPING THE PARTIES.

In Washington politics interest con.
tiers in the new Democratic governor
and the Republican legislature. From
this oil and water mixture results are
expected that we all hope will be ben.
eficial to the state, but prophecy in the
matter will have to be classed with the
extra hazardous callings-hindsight
will tell the story when the time
comes
Anything may come from the con.
glemeration-or nothing. OF the de.
partrients that must cooperate in the
making of laws, that of the governor
has definite program lucidly out
Mned.
II there is any we'll digested plan in
the collective brain fthe majority
party in the lower house, that BODIES
good for the people in general. it has
60 far been carefully concealed. There
is only one exhibit in the evidence to
date showing that the old "standpat''
element has learned anything from the
late election. They have discovered
that there are numerous generals with
out an army to lead, but they still
seem profoundly ignorant Of the causes
that prompted their former legions to
desert their standard almost in a
body.
II the old style people be damned
tactics Of the party bosses, such as the
recreation of rules committee" and
the steam rollering Of well intentioned
MEMBERS Of their own party. is not
evidence Of ignorance, it must be at.
tributed to desire to exhibit premedi-
tated contempt for the people who
placed them in power under misap.
prehension.
The most charitable view to be TAX
en-, however, is that old dogs are inca
pable Of learning new tricks, and that
bending the knee continuously and for
a long time before the Interests" pro-
duces atrophy of the leg muscles so
that the owner can never again stand
erect and look freemen In the face.
OF course the standpatters will try
to recover from the shock produced by
the November storm, the old rein hold.
ers hoping almost against hope are
making a feeble attempt to rally few
of their scattered guard around the
splintered standard, with the same
apparent success attending the efforts
to rehabilitate scrambled egg.
Former Governor Osborn Of Michi'
gan is One Of the leaders that keenly
appreciates the unhappy plight Of the
Republican party. In plea before
the Hamilton club Of Chicago ito get
together.p he said:
1.-THE Republican party is sick.
There is no doubt about it. Last year
lit was delirious. Now the fever ia
broken, let US hope permanently. and
the patient Is weak and anaemic, but
convalescent, and believe has enough
vitality to warrant the prophecy of re-
covery. During its delirium the party
was repudiated by the country. do
not believe that this turning Of the
peoples back is necessarily perma-
nent posture"
After saying, further, only that par
ty which Is worthy in every way can
retain the confidence of the voter" he
urged the party to take up government
ownership of railroads, employment
of slaves and the temperance ques-
ton as promising bats to lure the peo-
pie back into the corral where they
had been herded for half a century.
One lesson to be learned from the re-
marks made by this former distin-
guished leader is that the standpatters
still fail to appreciate the significance
of the mighty revolution now at work
in the popular mind and that never
again will the voters take their cues
from self appointed bosses.
Their willingness to pick up issues
that other parties have recognized long