Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-09-17
To the People.

lie SuDIulSSlOu Ol Tie people Ol LOS
Angeles County and Of the State to
the result of the election, is but the
ratification of what is supposed to be
the free choice of the people in their
sovereign capacity. And, although
the fact may be that the sovereign
people had nothing whatever to do
with it, yet since it is SO, it becomes
the duty of the citizen cheerfully to
acqulese in the result and by their res
pect and generosity towards the men
who have been elected to office, inspire
them with nobler motives than might
have actuated them during the cam
paign. For it is the crowning excel
lence Of enlightened citizens, no mat
ter what may be their convictions as
to the men, or the means by which
they were put in power, to bear them
upon their arms of confidence, above
the plane of prejudice and passion to
the the true appreciation that they are
honored servants of the people from
no partisan standpoint.
Forbearance is the duty of the citi-
zen until it ceases to be virtue. When
it has passed that point, it becomes a
crime not to resist. 1t is the peculiar
mode of the few who desire to control
the masses in an election, to do it all
by machinery-the necessary instru-
ment-of oppression. To manipulate
the vote of free American citizen
without the aid of chloroform, and at
the same time lead the victim to be-
lieve that he retains his conscience,
exercises his choice and has not lost
his manhood, is the problem of the
politician of the day. A politician
who has made up his mind to do
wrong, to carry through schemes of
corruption, schemes of individual ag-
grandisement opposed to the best in
terests or the country, shouldibe a man
of powerful perseverance and courage.
To set at defiance the free choice of an
enlightened people, to insult their un-
derstanding by the means adopted to
obtain their votes, to run the chances
of just and merited defeat, and the
consequent condemnation of all good
men, requires a man whose cheek is
oblivtous to the blush of shame, a
head full of the arts of political cor
ruption, with heart devoid of q sensa-
tion to feel their consequences. He is
generally the physician of party in
the last agonies of despair or the tall
or of some new tangled :'dolly-varden"
such as we have just had an example
of. Imean the Independent. The on
ly we'll defined characteristic of that
party, that shines pre-eminently
through the inextricable maze of err
ror is their duplicity, the natural scion
of dsorganisation. Let it be under
stood once for all, that no Janus faced
party can exis in the economy of our
American politics. The French rev.
olutiop, when"the axe of insnrrection
was laundering at the doors of the
kings palace, would be an example of
the state of society that would best
foster such party. The people are
not ready for that species of chaos.
Inconsistent and tickle as they are,
there is yet redeeming virtue, or q
sense of honor that even the abysmal
throat of a venal press cannot swallow.
The Greedy movement as national
issue was but the convulsive shudder
of dead party. An unholy alliance
of Democrats and sore headed Repub-
licans, upon which fell the extermin-
ating curse of q nation.
The power of the Independent party
of this campaign has been but the
feint ebilutions of 1872, a doleful echo
from the tomb of Chapaqua. Hereaf-
ter "let the sentiments of every man
be inscribed upon his forehead" Let
them be either Republican or Demo-
cratic. And to come closer home. II
the people of Southern California elect
men to represent them in the halls of
Congress from partisan standpoint
only, ignoring the interests of the
country in the development of its
grand destiny, they are losing the
most important opportunity that was
ever given to American citizens. Let
the defeated fall into line, disrobe
themselves of the selfish garb of poll
tics and impress their representive in
Congress with the fact that the eyes
of both Democrats and Republicans
are turned towards him as their
representative to legislate for their
common interests. 1t will inspire him
with a nobler purpose. He may see
in the exercise of his mission, instead
of the strappings and harness Of party
the vision of country the extent Of
whose resources we have scarcely
dreamed; country upon whose stern
features and bold sea-coast is written
by the finger of destiny, defiance to
oppression; land whose base is LASH
ed by mighty commercial ocean,
from which sweeps the loveliest valley
the sun shines upon; crowned by the
mountains whose golden ore struggles
through the surface to meet and re-
ward enterprizing industry. He may
see that he is the representative of q
country whose fame is spreading ev-
erywhere. The glad news tingling
along the frozen arteries of world,
and the steps of men with strong
hearts and noble manhood turning to.
wards our shores, every avenue of ap-
proach crowded; and our lovely valley
teeming with million happy homes.
And then will open up the commerce
of the Pacific with its thousand genial
isles, whose products waited by hum
dreed ships to our shores; where the
iron path of the locomotive stretching
like serpent across the broad plain
of the desert, brings the riches of one