Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 9.djvu/268

244 T. W. Davenport. try to drown the still, small voice of reason and conscience with the blare of brass bands and the hubbub of political parade. Noise and numbers everywhere have their uses in attracting the rabble, and the rabble vote in the United States. At the ballot box they count for as much as self- governing people, and, indeed, there is no visible line of demarcation between them. More than the rabble get into the bandwagon. They are of the people, and even in this country we are still quoting with more or less approval, ^'vox populi vox Dei/' which, properly translated, means that in republic the majority must rule. Human beings claim to be rational — many of them are, and their numbers are increas- ing, but too many from sheer indolence are carried along by the crowd, too many follow the successful bully and black- guard, too many are herded, like cattle, by a master, though his impaling horns are no more formidable than irony, sarcasm and invective. It was so in Oregon at the time of which we write, though it is less true now, and very likely if the Demo- cratic organ had been in the hands of a weak man the party would have suffered disintegration. But its editor was far from being a weak person. His talent for control was of a high order, as suited to his party and the time. A ready and trenchant writer, with an active and vigorous temperament, a taste and capacity for minute inquiry, a thorough knowledge of the inclinations and idiosyncrasies of his political brethrea, possessed of a vinegary sort of wit, and a humor bitter or sweet according to destination, he was the most influential and feared of any man in the Territory. He was a past- master in the art of politics then, which compared with the boss politics of the last ten years was mild and beneficent. He was also credited (whether truly or not no one may say) with being the head of the Salem clique," which though much reviled in those days has passed unscathed by time, and no allegation was ever made that the " clique was composed of any other than honest and honorable men, either as private citizens or partisans. Only the name Salem clique" was against them. But this must be remembered, they all went