Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-09-08
nshln9 !. De.sxesss-

It vas not the ability or personal
nangnotism of Dennis Kearney
whioh gave him his notoriety. He
nas neither. 1t was not his energy
= his oratory. He has neither.
The lack OF tact Of his opponents
'han been this mans sole passport
- power. II he had been let alone
be would never have made the
slightest impression even upon
California politics, the most inn
Questionable In the whole range of
fho United States. . In San Fran.
disco Kearney was arrested and re-
dfrested. There was always some
lIaW In the process; and, through
thoss flaws. he was discharged.
thus gaining an sclat which his
avn unalded efforts would never
hare given him. We have been
mach amused ~ we'll as disguised
ot noticing that the marplot tactics
ID dealing with Kearney have ex-
(o0ded to the national Capital.
When KsArney stood on the steps
of The Capitol at Washington the
1870 feeble and abortive interposi-
e1ou Of authority which character.
fnod his San Francisco career was
romArked. The Washington cor.
rSnpendsnt OF the New York Sun
thus tslls the story Of Kearney's
o<lvent ON the Capitol steps:
The throng was we'll in hand
vhen Kearney and his private sec.
rotaty, Brown, stepped out on the
lever piers of the broad flight OF
otopo which lead up to the portico
ard rotunda. The night was dark.
deinly, and rainy. There was .
cheer e Kearney appeared. From
the BEGINNING the throng cheered at
every turn. Capt. RlAckford of the
Capital Police, an organization al
/. foGethsr distinct from the Metro
politan Police. here stepped for.
ward and told Kearney he could
not be- allowed to speak. Blackford
has thirty men under him. He had
not . man there to support his or
dors. No more ridiculous display
10 bohalf Of law and order so.called
could have been made.
Kearney turned on Biackford
and asked by what authority he
prohibited his speaking. Kearney
aid this evening:
"6e told me It WAS some party
By the name of Clark
It was Superintendent Clark,
custodlAn Of the national Capitol.
Kearney retorted that he came to
speak, and speak he would. unless
arrested, and turning to the throng
he asked II he should go on. The
throng yelled its approval. There
were scattering cheers for Kearney
and Blackford. Blackford fell back
and did nothing The meeting
wAs organized and Kearney went
on. AS a matter of course there
was not ths slightest harm In let
ting Kearuey speak. No travel
was interrupted, no Inconvenience
caused to any man by his speak
Ing. Like meetings were repeat
edly held in the same place last
June when Congress WAS in session,
addressed by meu much OF Kear-
n-y's way Of thinking. ro-uisht,
however, Kearney has the satisfac-
tiou, which he il not slow to ex-
uvess. not onlv of speaking from
the Capitol steps, but of speaking
la defiance of SUCH rule AS exists.
He spoke for one hour without in.
cident. What he said wns similar
to what he had said elsewhere.
He hat n little more to say about
the Chinese, and made more fire.
quent allusion to Congress. That
WAS all. Nor WAS he prOfane. Com
pared with sonic OF his speeches,
the discuurse was mnderat-, hut II
followed closely In the track OF
Others he has made. With equal
fmpartialfty he apostrOpiuzed
the end In which the Republican
Senate and the end in which
the Democratic House sits as sinks
OF iniquity. "If," he said, pointing
up to the great iron dome above
him, "the man IN the moon does
not hold his nose when he goes
over this dome, then may be"
and shout from the crowd drown
ed the last word.
There were other local illusions,
the most important being a denun-
citation Of the contract system and
one of the causes OF recent labor
riot. Kearney declared that the
government ought to employ men
by the day. The usual denuncia-
tion of the press and John Sher.
man filed his speech, which had
aume brief reference to Hayes, but
IL was significant that this refer
ence before q Washington audience
made up of clerks drew no ap'
piause. A brisk rain at 9 o. clock
broke up the meeting, which closed
without Incident.