Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-12-12
An Open Letter 10 Judge O'MeIveny
Los ANGELES, Dec. 10, 1878.

LOo ANdE1ESt LEU AUj 1910
Hon. II. K. s. O'Melveny:
My DEAR JUDeE:-It is now
some nine or ten years that we
have been neighbors, and apparent
ly friends. We have also been
warm Democrats and often taken
council together as to political
matters, aud always with entirp
unanimity of thought and feeling.
I was therefore much surprised
to hear that you had left us for the
so.called Workingman's party, and
still more that in going you should
think 1t necessary to strike part
Ing bl ow at your old party and old
political friends.
As for your association with the
Working T have nothing to
say against 1t. I have never enter
tained either dislike or apprehen-
sion as to that party. The material
that composes it once helped to
form the bone and sinew of the
Democracy; and, though they have
left US, yet when they fiud-as they
assuredly will-that the only possi-
BILE effect of their movement will
be the continuance Of the Repub-
licans in power, they will come
back to the old party. And when
this takes place / for one, desire
that they shall have no hard words
or other manifestations of ill-feel
ing to remem Der against those that
have staid with the party. Unti
then those who have followed the
fortunes of the Democracy through
good and evil report for so many
years can continue cheerfuliy to
wait for the success, which sooner
or later, IL bound to come.
Whether you have acted wisely
or not IN your present step, Is no
concern Of mine; and, had you CON-
fined yourself to general denuncia-
tlons I would have had nothing to
say. But think, as an old friend,
may justly complain of the at
tack made by you (in your speech
on Saturday nigh) against myself,
personally, and the rest of the Los
Angeles delegation to the Lagisla-
ture. Though not expecting an at.
tack from such quarter, and
therefore somewhat surprised, am
not sorry that you made it.
Ever since | became a candidate
for the office of Senator,
(the only civil Office for
which l was ever candi-
date have been pursued with the
most psrsevering malignity by po-
litical and personal enemies; and,
though the charges against me
have been fully refuted by my rec
ord in the Senate, and are no long
er believed by any Intelligent per-
son who has followed the proceed
ings of the Legislature, yet natural
ly, among the ignorant and those
who do not read the newspapers,
their effect still fingers.
These have always been, hereto.
fore, made only by secret assaiI-
ants, and have been privately cir
culated without giving me an op.
portunity to reply. You have,
therefore, unwittingly done me a
service In giving responsible au-
thorship to charge which I have
long wished for u suitable oppor-
tunity Of answering.
IF I am correctly informed, the
gist Of your charge was that the
Los Angeles delegation had betray-
ed the Interests of their constitu-
ents, and especially, among other
things, that they had acted 10 the
Interest of the Railroad Company;
and, in proof of this proposition,
you refer 10 our vote for Senator.
In reference to our vote for Mr..
Farley we wrote at length to the
Central Committee in reply to their
telegram, and you can doubtless
read the letter upon application to
the Secretary. In that letter we
did not give anv excuse whatever,
nor did we think any excuse neces-
ssry. We voted for Mr.. Farley,
because we believed it for the best
interests of our constituents that he
should be elected; and we believed
that the QUERY made against him
was not only unjust, but that it did
not represent the sentiments of u
majority OF the Democrats of this
county. Mr.. Farley bad long been
u leader In the party not only in
prosperous tines, but through the
days Of its gloom and dependency
He was the most prominent candi-
date for the Senatorship, and had
been the choice of the Democratic
caucus at the previous session.
During the canvass here Repub-
lican orators sought to make
point OH US that, if elected, we
would vote for him; but We never
denied that we would, and asserted
our intention Of voting for the one
we thought the best man-whether
Mr.. Farley or another. Under such
circumstances, il there had been