Year: 1867

The Scramble Ior the DehesntosnAP'


lust at this writing, the scramble for the
,ouOr of representing Washington Territory /
n CONGRESS is so great that it would seem i'm t
possible te unite the vote on any particular q
,apdidate. This remark will apply more par
icularly to the democratic party Of the Terrl>
,ory. How many aspirants there may be out>
,ide of this Immediate Valley, we OF course
have no means of knowing, but certainly
the name is legion. Ofthose who are spoken
of and who may be considered prominent, we
name as hailiug from the Sound coun-
trv. Frank Clark, for several years member
of the Legislature, aud generally regarded as
a sbrewd politician. Then there is Judge
McFadden, gentleman who has had large
e1nerienee in public life, and who has many
friends scattered all over the country. W.
W. Miller, also, of the Sound, is spoken oil
"a a candidate. and is considered strong
man. These men arc of democratic antece'
dents. and their nomination will be pressed
bv those who delight to be termed "SImon
oure democrats" Next in order we have
Eluood Evans, present Secretary of the Ter
-. -. e
Internal Revenue, both acting with the dem
ocratic organisation, aud each of them sup
posed to have Congressional aspirations.
Leaving the Sound country, and coming to
the Columbia River, we fnd that Clark
county presents two candidates, in the per-
sons of A. J Lawrence and Columbia Lau>
caster, both Of them gentleman of undoubts
ed democratic antecedents. Coming to our
own Valley, the candidates are so numerous
that it would require dexterous marks man
to throw stone without hitting a Congress
sional aspiraut. We have already publish>
ed the names Of score of these aspirants,
and scarce day passes that does not bring
to the surface the name of some new man,
who is willing to sacrifice himself for the
''dear people" 1t certainly will be admit
ted that this indecent scrambling is by no
means creditable to the patriotism of our
people. In the purer and better days of the
Republic, it was held that the "office should
seek the man." but in these degenerate
times the rule is reversed, and men other.
wise respectable, are found openly pressing
| their claims with a tenacity aud lack of modr
esty that would put to shame the petty hawr
ker of merchandise. We refer to this mats
ter for the reason that this scramble for a
high Office is disgraceful to all the parties
concerned, and as such is deserving of a
severe rebuke. At the proper time, we
doubt not that the people will indicate their
preference, and until that time our advice
to aspiranls is to cultivate modest demean
or. There is an old saying that "haste
makes waste" and in thus bastily grasping
at the prize it is more than proUaUIe Inat
those who are now most prominant will have
the least show of success in the end The
whole question of the Dele eslteship is be-
ing carefully weighed in the minds Of the
people, and by way Of assisting them to a
correct conclusion, we state that rabid,
rAnting partizan is not the most suitable
person to represent Territory in Congress.
Without a vote, and having little or no in
Auence in the disposition ofparty questions,
the position ot a Delegate is that ola suppl-
cant for favOrs rather than that of law M
ker. To sustain this character, and make


himself useful to his constituents, a Dele
gate should possess social qualities in a
marked degree. Thus gifted and Of indus


trious habits, Delegate can make himself
useful to his Territory, and this too without
the ability to make a speech upon any of
the great questions of the day. The bust
ness of a Delegate is in the Committee


rooms, and in personal conferences with the
Senators and Representatives. and it is here
that the man of social habits and genial dis
position, enjoys an advantage over one not
thus favored, even although he may be gift.
ed with rare elOquence. Personally famih
lar with the manner in which the business of
Congress is conducted, we have here briefly
indicated the traits of character most de-
sirable in Delegate, and we have done so
to The end that the people may select an eff


eient representative, without any reference
to the blatant demagogues who are pressing
their claims for preferment.


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THE IMPEAcHMENT.-Lato dispatches
from the East in iicate that the radicals are
in earnest is the impeachment, aud that the
intention is to degrade the President from
his high Office aud install Ben Wade in
the 'place thus vacated. Should the at
tempt be made to carry out the programme
thus indicated, it is scarcely possible that the
country will escape another civil war. The
radical plan also includes the overthrow of