Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-12-10
We are now at that interesting


NAL merry-go-round of politics where
the patterns are being made by our
Republican friends for those vituper-
alive flights of campaign fancy with
which they are wont to assa;i any,
thing and everything which bears the
Democratic stamp, willy, nilly, wheti,-
er or no. They still impress some
good people, and. in any event. the
diversion has become a habit. I say
diversion advisedly for in truth the
chief purpose is to divert, principally
to divert the attention of the public
from the misdeeds of the Republican
party, the potholes that the Repub-
licans got us into, and the purposes
end tendencies of Republicanism-of
which purposes and tendencies the
public has become dubious and shy.
The solemn truth is that Republican
ism Of this day means merely the
concrete pressure upon the imme-
date source Of governmental deci-
sion and policy of the great, selfish,
overpowering, special privileged in
terest3 which do not wish to be dis
turbed in the soft berths in which
Republicanism has placed them, while
Democracy, upon the other hand, is
the expression of an intent to bring
back to the masses Of people, those
who labor productivity for what they
get, and get nothing for which they
do not labor productivity, all that
which Is undeniably theirs. Shorn of
all the brave but unkept promises
that have accompanied Republican
schemes Of government, fantastic and
complex. there we have the essence of
the matter. Farm tenantry has in
creased, the hordes Of unemployed
have been enlarging for years. and
while artificial stimulation has been
given to wages through unionism. the
stubborn fact IL that, as 2 natural
corrollary. the cost Of living has adj
vanced enormously, and the average
of wages. especially in the protected
industries" has tended toward and
reached q point below the require
ments for decent existence.
Those who do not know this have
simply failed to keep In touch with
conditions as revealed by scores Of In
vestigations. Those who deny It, are
they who. having eyes see not; they
are 30 absorbed. 30 obsessed. with
their habitual custom Of damning any
thing and everything which bears the
Democratic stamp that they have not
time or disposition to do anything
else. The masses Of people know 1t.
II the people generally had not. by
the policies of the Republican party.
been put into a position Of depend
ence for their jobs upon those vast.
monopolistic octopi which in turn con-
troll and utilize the Republican party
the latter would be wiped out OF ex-
istence. II the masses of people. could
vote tomorrow without fear, and rem
der an untrammeled expression Of
what in their hearts they feel and
know, the Republican party could not
elect dog-catcher, not even in Penn
sylvania. The managers of the Re-
publican party interests, the high
priests of so-called Republican policies
in government policies which have
been discredited and stand discredit-
ed all over the world, know this;
hence the diverting diversion of the
managers and the high priests. by
which process of distortion not to say
utter Misrepresentation, a cloud is
raised, to settle like pail upon the
people, putting fear and uncertainty
into their hearts. Behind the smudge,
the interests chuckle, while their
brave champions wall through their
megaphones, damn the Democrats. !"
A pet whine Is that about Demo
cratic hard times" in naive oblivious-
ness of the fact that the 'hard tines
are fifty per cent enforced by the Re-
publicansized institutions that wish
to discredit Democracy and all its un-
dertakings and are largely in position
to do so, and fifty per cent the net
result of the conditions that Republic
canism has brought into existence.
The Republican party has been in
almost undisturbed control of the
governmental affairs for half a cen
fury, has shaped the government
policy and directed it's course. The
Democratic party has never been in
power long enough to do more than
merely make beginning at rectifca-
ton and proper adjustment. Due to
fundamental economic errors. periods
of depression come on and these grow