Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-02-20
somesn,ug About Parties.

Few rational people will be in
clined to dispute the fact that there
Is an urgent demand for the re-or-v
ganizatien of the California
Democracy. There is no obligation
of party fealty which calls upon
any good Democrat to profess ad-
miration for such political leader.
ship as he has been obliged to ac.
cept in this State for some time
past. Common street talk in CAL
ifornia, for the last four or five
years, has been manly conversant
as to this or that compact in the
distribution of offices and official
honors, and very little of soul-
stirring kind has proceeded from
the mouths of our Democratic
Gamaliels. They seem to be Dem.
ocrats in furtive, halting kind of
manner. We have seen two Pres
idential campaigns during our res
idence in this State. The first was
the Grant-Greeley episode, in
which the paralysis under which
leading Democrats labored was
painfully apparent. But perhaps
this was natural, under the circum-
stances. 1t was not a fair thing to
expect Democrats to warm up to e
white heat in favor of the old white
hat who had put in fifty years de-
nouncing them. But no one can
have failed to observe the profound
apathy which was apparent in the
Democratic leaders of California in
the Tilden-Hayes campaign. The
abstention of most of the "war-
horses" from an active participa-
tion in politics was so marked that,
when q man like Senator Hager
came to the front, aud delivered
some staunci blows in favor of h IS
party, the rank and file were abso,
lutely astonished. Such men as
Haight, Hoge, Casserly, ard a
dozen others of almost equal emf
nence in the party, scarcely opened
their lips during the campaign.
There seemed to be an epidemic OF
Democratic Indifference. Most Of
the movements Of the California
Democracy on large scale have
been liable to, and have suffered
from, the imputation of interested
motives. Political parties, like
armies, require men of brains, ex
perience ami ability to di
rect and lead them If they
would achieve success. How
ever pure the principles for which
they contend, however desirable
the ends they seek to accomplish
however earnest and enthu.
siastic ths rank and file may
be, failure is almost inevitable
unless they are well geueraled, and
their campaign is managed by men
who know how to turn to profit
every favorable circumstance and
every mistake Of the enemy. There
is no fallacy more dangerous, no
heresy more certain, when adopted,
to result in disaster and defeat, than
that which selects party leaders
from the Office seeking members OF
Its organization. Acting on the
presumption that the office seeker,
having deep personal interest in
the success OF his party, will con-
duct the campaign most vigorously
and sagaciously has too often
draped The Democratic ensign with
the myrtle and cypress when it
should have been wreathed with
the laurel-and would have been
had not those under whose leader
ship tho battle was fought sacri-
feed every interest with which
they were entrusted in the hope OF
gaining a personal success and en-
joying the ease and emoluments OF
an Office. True, there are not many
Instances on record where these
selfish tricksters, who unfortunate.
ly became temporary leaders, have
succeeded in securing the positions
for which their personal honor and
political loyalty were alike sacri-
Heed. Such selfish am5ition gen.
orally overleaps itself; and, like the
Jewish Judge of old, is buried be.
meath the ruins of the temple it has
overturned.
But, although it is gratifying to
all sincere Democrats, who are
such from honest conviction, and
not for the spoils of office, to see
selhshness and treachery rebuked
and discomfitted, 1t is too dearly
bought at the expense of the sue.
cess and honor of the party. The
Democratic party of California to-
day is either a reality or sham
It either aims at contributing to
control wholesomely the destinies
OF the United States or it has nc
aim at all, and is simply drifting
with no ballast of principle to keer
1t steady or rudder to guide its
course aright. Those who are in
the Democratic vessel have right
to know whether its timbers are
stauncll, its crew true and It's Off.
GERS competent. In politics a
fiasco Is what disaster is In a real
voyage. There is no such engulph.