The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-07-02
Ghr 9ailg Arg,I. gus
ROCK 1sLAnD,...........rLLrnors
The New Outlook on the Pacific.


The recent election in California is at
least as interesting as the explanations
yesterday made before the Potter investi-
eating committee by Mr.. Noyes, our min
lister in France, of his share in the final
assignment of the electoral vote of Flor
ida, nearly two years ago, to the friends of
Mr.. Hayes rather than to the friends OF
Mr.. Tilden. For it is quite evident that
on the great Pacific slope the presidential
election Of 1876 has ceased to command
the attention of any considerable number
of the local voters hitherto enrolled in the
lists either of the party which supported
Mr.. Hayes or of the party which support
ed Mr., Tilden. One Of the leading partl-
san journals of San Francisco describes the
state of political feeling in that part of the
world as revealed by this election IN Ian
guage as emphatic as the Lamentations of
jeremiah. 1t considers the downfall 10th
of the republican and of the democratic
party 10 California to be as complete as
the ruin which has crept upon the ancient
'deeayed palaces and walls OF the lost
races which once inhabited Central Amer
| lea. No skill can ever restore their old
| power and renown in the political world.
The same journal, which by no means
exults in the prospect, expresses its firm
belief that the state of California wall
never again see another governor or
another legislature elected either by the
democratic or the republican party.
All this may or may not be the first
effervescence of profound political disap.
pointment. But there is obviously truth
| enough in it to command the serious atten-
tioB of thoughtful men in other parts Of
the country. The rout OF the two
hitherto leading political parties IN Cali
fornia has indeed been overwhelming. il
is plain from the election returns thai
neither of these parties now possess
lcompact organization or respectable
following in half dozen out OF the fifty
1.-TWO counties which compose the state O
California. To what are we to attribute
this sudden and sweeping political revoiu
tion-for it really deserves that name-iI
a commonwealth which we have all OF u
held I'D to the admiration of mankind a
exhibiting the ideal OF American politica
progress untrammelled by traditions an
unvexed by material obstacles?
Our government" says a San Fran
cisco journal, has been and still is lex
"tra VACANT. Promises of retrenchmer
have been made, but never kept At
!. time when the state and city are pre-
crossing slowly. if at all, and property
rather depreciatiDg than approaching
value, the men in power add to our year
expenses aud increase the rate of tax
"tion. Taxes are thrust upon the Peep
/ in every form, IF man has accum'
lated little property he is taxed 40 D,
: cent of its income. If he has nothin
''and wants to go into business, he mu
= ''pay for the privilege and take the chanc,
of success. The average citizen worl
''one-third of the time for governmen
Accommodating slowly. if at all, and pa,
ling largely of bis. earnings in the torm
taxes, he sees the public money waste
ION every hand. Large salaries, doub
''and treble salaries, perquisites, stealing
are some of the wastes which he Sc,
q but cannJt prevent"
Who can reasonably wonder that such
state of things should lead at last on Il
+ Pacific TO a complete political revolution
Who can reasonably expect any other issI
z of such a state Of things on the Atlantic
> IN J. World.