Year: 1865

tbs CAusE.-Some entertain the opinion that
ers that 1t was the "sole" cause, others that
"abolitonism" was the cause, others again
hold to the opinion that "the pernicious doc
true of State Sovereignty" was one of the
"chief causes, others, that ''the perversiOn of
States Rights on the one hand, and their ut
ter disregard on the other, was the "ehief
cause" and many who have not been able, we
suppose to discern any tangible cause, causes,
or "chief cause" for this most unhOly war, are
satisfied with the sweeping declaration that it
had no cause, or in other words, that sit is a
causeess war" |" But this last theory is too ab
surd to admit of a moments consideration. We
do not propose, however at this time to enter
into an analytical consideration of the various
theories which have been promulgated as the
"causes" and 'chief causes which brought
about the existing war To attempt such a
thing would involve one in such labyrin.hian
exploration after the "causes, who "fred the
first gun" whowere 'the first aggressors?" who
first broke the compact? etc.-that it is doubt
full whether the explorer would ever get through
it, discover reasonable solution and olive"
Let the future historian search out the causes ,
and truthfully note them down, to the end that
posterity may avoid following the beaten track
that led to the Unhappy civil war Of the present
day we'll none of it; but our pu pose now is
TO point out the "chief cause" that led to a
bloody nose or two and bunged eye or so, in
ye valiant city of Walla Walla, on election day
First of all, then, we shall designate men of the
two-legged double-fsted persuasion, as being
the "chief cause" of those bloody-nosed demon
strations, popularity called " set to's" These
men were the cause of the fights, because if the
men that engaged in the "knock down argu-
meats on the day in question: had never been
born, they could not possibly have fought; so
that point is settled, unless some stcker after
facts, wishes to go back further than we intend
to, and make the Creator the chief cause, by rea-
son of creating men-allible men, who will
fight Semi-occasonally in spite of the dali
you can do to prevent it, Having demonstrated
then, to our own complete satisfaction, that the
existence of these flesh and blood men in ye
city of Walla Walla, caused the said fights, it
next becomes our province to discover what par
ticular thing, things or parts of things actuated
the men to fight We shall assume that it was
no thing but whisky that caused them to fghtl
No, we take that back, it might have been bran
dy, or other ardent spirits, or perhaps a mixture
of drugs and liquors-at any rate it was some
thing that made "drunk come" that caused the
"druhk-ees" to fight. 1t may be contended that
the fights would have taken place, liquor no
liquor, drunk or not drunk, but then we don't
know about that for it is well known thatwhen
great number of men get together and great
many of them drink great many times, great
many kinds of drink great many of them are
apt to get drunk, and great many fights are
apt to occur. Whether the getting drunk
causes these fights or not may be question, but
it is positive fact that more rows take place on
"drunk days" than any other. Perhaps the
holding of elections is of itself of the chief
causes of drunkenness and fights, and if so, it
would be necessary to abolish the system in or
der to prevent the attending evils. But as dis
pensing with the elective privilege might work
serious trouble in affairs, state and national, we
will not urge it upon the "dear peops," and will
fall back upon the causes before mentioned to
sustain our assumed position. This much we
know; that there were at least two fights here on
election day, anl that certain things caused
them, but we do not know that whisky was the
prime and actuatng cause--that is only sur
mise, and is not susceptible of positive proof.
But, upon the whole, there was aslittle disturb
ance in town on election day as usually occur
on such occasions, and likewise, as much good
feeling manifested generally as the most ardent
political devOtee could have anticipated.


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