Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1878-05-16
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"A frank confession is SAID 10 pe
good for the soul, and this time.
honored aphorism applies as well
TO . Democratic journalist as to
anybody else. We are Inundated
at the plight in which the Demo-
cratic State Central Committee has
left the party in this State. Its
latest utterances have been pitched
In . falsetto key. Vigor, direct
ness and purpose are essentials to
the success of any political organ
ixation, no matter what traditions
are behind it. 1t is emphatically
the case with political parties that
not to go forward is to go back. Par
ties, like q man, may become
senile, and too many feeble and
hesitatiDg utterances may cause
the people Of California to think
that the Democratic party in this
State Is in its dotage, or, rather,
that some of its leaders are.
What do we see to-day? IT the
design of the Democratic leaders
had been to paralyze the party they
could not have taken a better
course than their imbecile perform
ance at the Palace Hotel confer
ence. How do we stand? Where
do we stand? Who knows? Con-
fusion worse COMPOUNDED rules the
political situation. "Chaos umpire
sits and by decision more embroils
the fray" Instead of the clear, en-
ergetic utterances, in California, of
q party that now practically con-
trolls the nation, we have the hesi-
tating and paralyzing outgivings
of sort of political eunuch.
tits true that the Republican
party is in no better plight. What
means this obliteration of all the
significances which attach to great
political parties? We shall tell the
story honestly, as it presents itself
to our mind.
There is deep seated conspiracy
tc have the coming Constitutional
Convention a fiasco. There are
grave issues to be settled, such as
did not exist in the primitive state
of society which characterized
the pioneer days in which
the present Constitution of CAL
ifornia was formed. Cormorant cor
porations and conscienceless capt.
talists have fastened themselves on
every coign of vantage in the am
pie boundaries of our State. There
is an unusual popular demand for
corrective features in the new Con.
stitution which shall asset the SOW
ereignty of the people and check
the.aggressions of aggregated cap.
ital. The demand is so widespread
that either of the great political
parties, if it possessed majority OF
the Constitutional Convention,
could not dare TO ignore it on pain
of political extinction, The result
I tant plan of the interests named, In
consequence, is simple one. All
their efforts are directed to blur
ring the composition of that body.
They want discordant and amor
phous assemblage, for which no
party will feel itself in the slightest
degree responsible. All their en-
ergies are directed to bringing about
a Constitutional Convention which
shall be a second edition of the
Tower of Babel, and in which the
confusion of voices shall be so
great that no clear, ringing, sys-
tematized reformatory project can
be carried through. The aspira-
ton of these marplots would be
perfectly realized il the coming
Convention should be composed, in
about equal proportions, of Demo-
Gratis, Republicans and Working
men. All responsibility would
thus be shirked by every party to
the nondescript convocation.
1t may be said that weare harsh
in our assumptions. To that we
answer that If the Democratic and
Republican State Central Commit
tees had done their plain and pre-
scribed duty there would have been
no ground for such imputations.
For q Democratic State Central
Com mittee, which could permit
the State of California to be carried
for Hayes on the basis of vote in
San Francisco ten thousand in ex-
cess of the rightful vote, and which
could permit the party to be paraly-
zed throughout the State as it is to-
day, we feel and express no respect.
To q committee which does its
duty we bow in all loyalty; to a
committee which palpably assists
in disorganizing the party we ad-
dress only words of reprobation.
1t requires to be reconstructed
that is all.
Having practically no State or
ganization to which we can ad-
dress ourselves, We are simply
anxious to keep in line with the
Triumphant Democracy of the ma
ton. Los Angeles has taken an
admirable position. 1t will have a
regular Democratic ticket. 1t will
have shown its correct and con-