Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-04-21

Roosevelt scheme OF things, and In
two months the Colonel will be ex-
planning to the brethren who battled
for the Lord at Armageddon that
their new chains are special badge
of honor, like the Iron Cross. and
conferred only upon those who never
faltered in the fight.
"At present, Roosevelt, for strate-
gic reasons, may pretend to fear that
the Republican party is not worthy
of him, but that is temporary disa-
bility. The way for party to make
itself worthy of the colonel is to NOM
mate him, and the colonel is attend
ing to that part of it himself"
The state conventions will soon be
at hand and the county conventions
are almost upon US. It appears that
elsewhere throughout the state the
Republicans have been following the
system used here, that of electing del
O80tCo IA PAOCAACC C0OSOCO0 W SAO
county gatherings, while the Demo-
Gratis generally have followed the
mass meeting idea, as they will do
here. Down Bremerton way the pro-
gram rather stuck in the craw Of the
Navy Yard American and its editor,
after unearthing the sentence, "The
committeeman will control" from
the instructions regarding the pre-
cinct caucuses, unburdened himself
after this fashion:
"If the honorable gentleman who
are responsible for the very plain
suggestion quoted above have their
way, they will control the nomination
of the delegates, the election of the
delegates, and the opinions Of the
delegates, politically and otherwise.
No delegate afflicted with any of the
current political heresies who be.
lieves in any such foolishness as the
initiative and referendum, In any va
riety of direct legislation, In the re-
call, In an untrammelled electorate
and manhood and womanhood suf'
frage-will be encouraged to become
a candidate for delegate to the county
convention. or get even q look in Al
delegate to the state convention.
because
''The next state convention"-he'i
talking about the Republican gather
ing, remember-"is going to do q lo1
of things that will be very important
The next state convention will moi
only meet and pass resolutions thai
point with pride and view will
alarm. but It will adopt q platform
and legislative program Thanks
to the intelligence of the electorate
the Legislative program will not THU
year be binding upon every candidate
from dog-catcher to congressman. Al
would have been the case had the
wonderful Whitney election law moi
been subjected to the referendum
but by all the arts and artifices Of
political master machinists the dele
gates, both state and county, will b
impressed with the idea that theil
sours welfare depends upon adher
ence to thes pirit of the Whitney Law
as the touchstone of fundamental re
publicanism.
"And when the Legislative pro
gram has been put over in due and
sudden fashion, as dictated by the
best usages of practical politics. ever,
man-jack will be considered to have
sworn on a stack Of Bibles that he II
for 1t and will work and vote for Il
from a to lizard It's q grea'
camel"
Momentarily he soliloQuizes OF
subjects not germane to this particu
lar discussion, and then relieves him
self of the following most excellen
advice:
"The fact of the case is that ou
reactionary standpat friends hav'
read in their almanacs that this Is al
elephant year and they truly believe
that the hoi polloi. the dinner baske
brigade and the congregation of tn
great unwashed will stand for an,
sort of program that the master ma
chinists may designate as necessar'
for the return of prosperity Hov
much they are mistaken depend
upon the interest which the individ
ual may see At to take in his persona
duty to himself and his country. MI
and Mrs. Voter may depend on 1t tina
some one is going to run the polite
of this country. II you are conten
to have 1t run by a lot Of professiona
fixers whose business Is the promo
ton OF the interests of special priv