The Placer herald., 1874-04-11
DEMOCRATS In COUNCIL.

We meant last week to speak OF the
meeting held by few monopolists Of the
Democratic party, in Sacramento, the day
after the adjournment of the Legislature,
but had not room. There were few good
men present, we are sorry to say, but they
must have become disgusted on the start,
as, we notice, they took no part in the pro-
ceedin-s Farley, who led the Democrats
in the Senate in opposing all legislation cal
culated to benefit the people, or restrict the
insolent outrages of the monopoly, also led
and directed the course of this Democratic
meeting They got up an address which,
like all addresses originating from an i'm
pure source, teaches what its authors do
not act. Though the address advances no
new OR original ideas, it is mostly good doc
trine. And if Democrats endorse it, and
we believe most of them honestly do, they
must join the Independents if they hope for
the fnl6ment of its prime; pies. To show that
it is inconsistent we give some extracts. 1t
says the present revenue policy of the gov
eminent "has been injurious and corruptng
to the last degree" and nearly every Dem
ocrat in Congress have just expressed them
selves in favor of continuing the same policy,
only in more aggravated form. 1t says,
again, "the functions of the government
have been virtually placed in the hands of
great corporations to be used for their own
selfs h purposes" which is true; but when
these very same men few days before had
chance, and were even demanded by the
people of this State to take from one of
the NEST selfish of these corporations some
of its grinding ald abusive power, they
openly refused to do so. 1t says again,
cit is impossible to close our eyes to the
abuses which Lave existed, when it is no.
torious that the same men have recently
helped to perpetrate the same abuses, and
if their eyes were not closed when they did
SO, they are so much the more to blame.
Again, in another place, after asserting that
the Legislature has the right to regulate
freights and fares, they 60 on to say, "the
duty to exercise such power SO as to secure
to the people of the State the transportation
Of the products of industry and labor at
reasonable rates, is imperatvely demanded ,
This is qualification again. They had
just refused to do certain thing, when they
had chance, and before their words of
refusal acre cold, they come out and say
the same thing is imperatively demanded.
Trash The whole address is full of just
such fragrant self-mpeachments. 1t is
plain to see in every paragraph, that they
are attempting to gain popularity by steal
ing the doctrines of the Independents. They
say, ''names, it is true, are not essential
but parties must ultimately be arrayed
upon principles and practical issues. That
is just what we have been preaching for a
year. Nothing is in a name, but every
thing is in principles and acts. Th,n comes
in our doctrine again, stick to the pure un-
alloyed principles of the party, and let the
name go to grass, and let all such Demo
Gratis as wrote this address go with it. We
gladly sacrifice the name for the sake of
getting rid of the hypocrites and scallawags
that have become so numerous in the party
that they control it. In conclusion, we will
just say, if Democrats were ever 80 much
inclined before to stick to the remains of the
old party, this address, expressing the sem
timents it does, from such source, is
enough to disgust them.