Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-10-11
THAT PLATFORM.
A Letter from a Member Of the Ger
man.AmerIcan Election Union. In
which the Express ana the Ooou
Templar. are Hauled over the
ennis In "a Severn Manner.

man.AmerIcan Election Union. in
which the ssExpress-' ana the OOou
Templar. are Hauled over the
Goals An IL severe Manner.
EDITOR HERALD: The Express of
the 9TH inst. contains an article sub
jecting the platform of the German
American Club to q severe, and, as
think, very unfair, criticism. First, 1T
questions the right of the Club of using
what political influence it possesses
as class or MISUNDERSTANDING that
such a proceeding smacked of Know
Nothingism; further, that the native
American portion of our population
would resent such action by counter
movements on their part. In answer
to this, beg TO state that the forma-
ton of this German-AmericanC Club
was principally caused by an order
emanating from the headquarters OF
the so-called Temperance party OF the
State of California, demanding of its
followers throughout the State an
active participation in politics with
special view of filling city, county and
State offices with creatures of their
Order, of whose fitness for Office shall
speak hereafter. "Only temperance
men should he selected'-so read the
order which was nothing else but
vent to the suppressed rage and fury
caused to this class of people by the
recent decision of the Supreme Court
declaring the Local Option law null
and void.
This famous proclamation was pub
lished in the public papers, and cannot
be denied. The editor Of the Express,
as well known defender of temper
ance principles, knows of the exist
ence of this document, which as it is
termed, ostracises every German can
didate for public office. We follow the
ler t0liOnis, and with or without per-
mission declare only such men eligible
to office who will not promote the
measures of the so-called Temperance
party. / will state other and more
powerful reasons why we should do so.
1t is n fact that a proportion of the
members of the secret society called
the |. o. of Good Templars consists of
men who, in consequence of bad train
ing in their youth or worse associa-
tiOns formed in after life, became adj
dcted to the excessive use of alcoholic
drinks, thereby running themselves
physically and morally and losing the
esteem of their fellow-citiZens. The
OhlJ tIli luSb llODC VI tilio GLASS vi IItIl
was by taking the pledge. This pledge
is supposed to become sort of staff by
which these unfortunates are to steady
themselves in the hour of temptation.
How poorly this staff serves them is
we'll known-over and over again the
same individual often falls back to his
former debauched habits.
And such men dare to announce
themselves party to nominate men
of their own stripe to office? They
have about as much right to do so as
the public women of Los Angeles
have to preach chastity to our wives
and daughters. The German element
is naturally of a philanthropic dispo-
sitiOn. They fully believe and desire
that the fallen of either sex ought to
be taken care of. They say hospitals
for the sick and asylums for the ine-
briate and the insane are necessary in
we'll regulated community; but they
do most emphatically protest that our
public officers are not to be selected
from the inmates of such establish
ments.
We believe that no one can reproach
us for intemperate habits. We are
temperate people, and propose to raise
our children in the same manner.
Our ideas of temperate life were not
acquired by coercion, but by persua-
sion. Once and for all, we will select
from among the candidates such men
as have led temperate lite all along,
and not those whom we must be
afraid of backsliding and whose
brains and usefulness have been con-
siderably impaired by a previous in
temperate life. !
Now for that kind, genteel remark
about the German language being of
less Commercial p value than the
Chinese. Our people have full ap-
probation of it's intent and purpose.
1t is boomerang that will only hurt
the head and the establishment from
which it came depend upon it. The
number of German votes is over 450;
their property is assessed at $3.50, ,000-
which is One-fourth of the total as
sessed value of the city of Los Angeles.
They have the audacity to ask by and
by, not Immediately, when the times
are deemed auspicious, for favorable
hearing of their case They say a
competent teacher can be secured for
500 month, and Germans, as we'll
as Americans or any other nationality
will be benefited. Have they not
perfect right to do so? Does the Er-
press deny that foreign languages are
not essential to modern education ?
If it does, we will leave it to the
judgment of the enlightened and re-
fined portion of the people of Los An
geles.
A MEMBER OF THE CLUE.
Los An oeles Oct 10, 1874