Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-04-01
TIE SAN FRANCISCO ELECTION.


pletely routed, and the character OF the
future government of the city will be de-
termined by the conservative and, intetli-
gent element. This is a result over which
the people of the whole State must re-
joice, and it is a far more satisfactory way
of dealing with Kearneyism than that
which a short time ago appeared unavod-
able. 1t is to be regretted that there
should have arisen any grounds for protest
or dispute in regard to the color of the
ballots used by the Citizens Protective
Union, but the difference of tint appears
to be one of those accidents which are in
separable from the employment of colored
paper, and the incident shows the inexpe-
dieney of using anything but white paper
for such purpose. In this case the dit
ference of color seems to have been SO
marked that the secrecy of the ballot was
practically abolished, and it was easyt tell
howevery one voted. Byprohibiting the en-
ployment of tinted paper altogether, casu-
alties of this kind would be rendered I'M
possible. There are no reasons why the
ballot paper should be colored, and great
many why it should not be. The defeat of
the Kearneyites, however, was not brought
about by the color of the ballots, and II
they have any sense left they will accept
the popular verdict without resistance, and
forthwith abandon the mischievous agta-
ton to which they have chung so long and
so fruitlessly. As Kearney announced
prior to the election that vote for Freud
was vote to keep him out of Jail, and as
Freud has been beaten, he ought row, for
the sake Of consistency, to surrender him
self and submit to the enforcement of his
sentence. Whether he does so or not we
presume the sentence will now be enforced,
and in the House of Correction he will for
the first time in several years be made to
earn his bread by honest labor II
the new charter to be drawn up by the
fifteen conservative freeholders does not
legislate Kalloch out of Office, and so clear
the way for an honest and decent govern
ment, we shall be surprised The Sandlot
element has at last received notice to quit,
and it will have to attend to it, for the
people will evidently stand no more nom
sense. The news of this suspicious out
come will undoubtedly be of great service
-, as+or;pr, oo,, f,Japoa II, +ba ability Of tho
people of San Francisco to take care of
themselves 1t is possible that the COM
paratively light vote cast by the Sandlotters
indicates the conversion of a part of Kear-
ney's following to more rational views, but
it is also possible that it merely indicates
diminution of the voting population, con-
sequent upon the hard times and the recent
cheap transportation to the Eastern States
We think it probable, if not certain, that
two or three thousand people have left San
Francisco during the past six months Ger
tainly the cars carrying passengers east
ward at reduced rates have been crowded,
and the travel that way has been kept up
steadily. This theory may also in part
but only in part account for the light
vote cast by the supposed friends of law
and order, of whom it is asserted that from
5000 to 10000 neglected to vote. The
Cliff House Brigade has always been an in
stitution in large cities, and it represents
that considerable element which, while
not in sympathy with communism or bad
government of any kind, possesses too
little interest in public affairs to stimu-
late it to action. Probably large
percentage of this element is composed of
men in clerical positions, who have no
property of their own, and who are too
young and inconsiderate to think seriously
over questions of public import It must
be remembered that a large proportion of
this class voted for the new Constitution
last year, certainly without at all compre-
hending what they were doing. There APP
pears to be no way by which such people
can be got to do their duty as citizens.
They do not feel their responsibilities, and
it is doubtful if anything but the accumu.
lation of property in their own hands can
make them do so. They are too intelh-
gent to be Ted away By demagogues like
Kearney, but they are not intelligent
enough to realize that it is directly to their
interest to secure good government. Had
they voted on Tuesday the majority rolled
up against the Sandlotters would have been
so large that the latter would never have
been heard of again. 1t is the part
of wisdom, however, to be thankful
for such success as has been at
tanned, and in the present case the end
sought has after all been reached, and this
is the main consideration. The proof thus
afforded that the Kearneyites are not a
formidable power in politics will do more
than anything else could have effected to
destroy the attraction which the move
ment has hitherto offered to demagogues.
After three years of turbulence, uncer-
tainty and apprehension, the conservative
elements once more control the situation,
and this change has been wrought without
the necessity of going beyond the law.
That is fact to rejoice over, and it is now
to be hoped that those in whose hands the
framing of the new charter is placed will
take warning from the past, and carefully
guard against the possible future capture
of the city by thieves and loafers.
THE DEBRIS BILL.