Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-03-24
Great Movements Have Great
Leaders.

- . --------------fs
1t Is somewhat surprising that a
movement which has attained the
proportions of the sWorkingmen's
party in California should have
done SO without, so far, showing
that it possesses a single man of
overshadowing ability. Kearney,
who has thus far. welded almost
absolute power in the. Labor organ
ization, is very ordinary man
from almost any stand point but
Bfllfpgsgate. Even as a human
conduit for slang, denunciation and
oaths, he shows nothing of the ca
pacity to discharge them easily and
with the requisite degree of veioc-
ity. In the shuttlecock and battle
dore game of Billingsgate between
Grove L. johnson and Kearney,
the former distanced the orator Of
the sand lots out Of sight. Bones,
after Kearney, was probably the
next most representative man Of
the up country Workingmen, and
Bones has already fallen from
grace.
No great movement, respectable
from its weight and durability, has
ever been inaugurated without a
great leader. Sometimes the lead
era man of force and originality
creates the movement, sometimes
the movement develops the leader.
We have as yet seen no evidence
that anywhere in the United States
the Workingmen have called to the
front of their organization any
mau of notable ability, magnetism
or political energy.
r. that respect the Working
mems party of California isefn a
worse plight than was the Independ-
eat party which made formidable
showing in this State, and which
was SO soon gathered to the sepul-
cher of the political fiascos. The
Independent party had in Booth,
Fdgerton, Swift and others, doc.
trinaires of more than average
force and ability. Senator Booth,
in his own peculiar line of elo'
quence, is not surpassed by any
public man in the United States
He had, besides, character and sta
bility. But he lacked the name.
less something without which 8
man cannot hope to be hailed as {
leader of men. The Independen
party went to pieces on account .o
its lack of real, native-borr
leader. Had Booth been the righ
man the organization would hav,
spread over the whole country ant
it might have cut respectable
-ffgure-in the last Presidential cleo
tion. .Hadit been carried forward
to the dignity of furnishing can
didate for President who, though
defeated, received u considerable
popular vote, its prospects for the
future would have been excellent
1t would have absorbed most of the
elements of discomfort which are
now SO rife over the country, and
would have anticipated the organ.
ization of the present Working
mems party.
Workingmen's organizations have
been in existence for many years
In the East. The most noted po'
litieaf leader they have ever de.
veloped SO far is Gen. S. +. Carey,
Of Cincinnati. He has no earthly
quality which W ould point him out
as o leader on national scale. He
cannot focus in himself the popu
lar enthusiasm, and he has neithe
the breadth nor sagacity which
would enable him to do grea
things, even if he possessed tn,
successful politicians persona
magnetism.
A movement which has been il
existence for upwards of fourteen
years, and which has yet failed t.
develop single distinctive leader
Is not, as the world goes, promis
ing political "plant."' We have ;
thousand times avowed our sy
pathy with the Workingmen. A
party which has been much in dis.
favor with the dilettanti ant
wealthy classes because that party
has championed the cause of th'
Workingmep, has claimed ou
fealty since we cast our first vote
We of course speak of the Demo
cratic party. But, nevertheless, W.
don't discern the signs of a perma
nent. political in the power Work.
ingmen's party in California, mol
DO we believe that the ideas'it rep
resents, save rs they are sure to bt
embraced in the platforms of the
Democratic party, will be repre-
sented by a national party,
AS to Dennis Kearney, there
is really something indescrib
ably sickeliing in the crude impe.
riousness, the unlettered brus
qnerie, of this political rhiuoeeros
He has no sympathy with a fre,
press, with free speech, with fre,
men. He would, If he could, over
bear every one with the upraiset
hands Of an unthinking mob. 1
.,,I,;ah I.1 aIl.on.os