Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1878-04-12
The Comssituiional Convention.
We perfectly agree with the vie,

Tho constitutional Convention.
We perfectly agree with the view
that, ordinarily, members of Con-
stitutional Convention should be
elected Independently of politics.
We are ready to go further, and to
express our unhesitating beliefthat
no man should be elected to such a
body merely as partizan. No
Democrat, no Republican, no
Workingman, should be elected
merely as such. Unless the NOM
inee, of whatever party, to body
which is to frame our organic law
for years, should be found to pos
sess high character, ability and a
certain grade of activity, Demo-
crat, Republican and Workingman
should give him the go-by and cast
his ballot for some more suitable
person. But, on the presumption
that the Democratic party shall
bring forward its best men in Los
Angeles county, we regard it as
eminently fitting that it should
make regular party nominations.
In the first place, in every county
Of California in which the Repub-
licans have a clear field, they will
elect delegates of their own party
to the Constitutional Convention.
In overwhelmingly Democratic
counties, like Los Angeles, our
Republican friends are conciliatory
and moderate. They would be
quite willing to enter into coal
ition with the Democracy in which,
out of the three delegates that, by
an Infamous apportionment, this
county is entitled to, they should
receive two. They are a self-sacri-
ficing set of men, and they would
agree to allow the Democracy to
play catspaw for their benefit.
There is this feature of the Citizens
combinations which have appeared
in different sections of California:
They pay the Workingmen's msve-
ment the compliment of assuming
that union of both parties is
needed TO vanquish the new conner.
This is humiliating confession,
and 1t is bad strategy, as well, in
our opinion.
Our reasons for this idea
are few and simple. When
you have made a Citizens
ticket you release both DEM
ocrat and Republican from every
obligation of party fealty. Both
Democrat and Republican can
simply vote as he pleases, without
doing violence to his party stand
ing. AS either the Democratic or
Republican party will infallibly
elect the next President. ii is not
wise, in n Democratic county,
firstly, to relax the party standard;
and, secondly, to throw away the
solid delegation which we have
every reason to look for in this
county.
We are confronted, in addition,
by the confident claims of q new
organization, which asserts that it
controls majority of the votes of
Los Angeles and of California. Ii
the Workingmen can outvote both
the old political parties, we are
perfectly willing TO see them do
1t. In square, stand-up and
knock-down fight, we are willing
to take our chances. No temporary
political reverse can unhinge the
great and invincible Democracy.
But We do not think we shall ex-
perience even this temporary de-
feat, and hence we desire to see
the issue raised. We are entirely
willing to give the Workingmen's
party of this county an opportuni-
~ to show the precise extent to
which they have enlisted the suf-
frages of the masses.
We do not claim any special wis
dom for our ideas of the political
situation. While we do not think
1t will lead to aught but political
victory, our plan might lead to de.
feat. We should at least have the
satisfaction of having preserved
our party intact for the
certain victories of the fu.
ture, when the fanaticisms of
the moment shall have passed. If
the Workingmep shall succeed,
let them succeed. But don't let us
enter into any hollow alliances
which will emancipate our follow
ers without any guarantee of secur-
ing any considerable Republican
vote.