Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-08-27
THE PERSISTENCE OF INsINCsRITY I
POLITICS.

to surprise the observer than the monot
onous persistence of the more familiar illu
sions and achieves in politics. Ii in
deed there be anything more remarkable il
is the unfaltering and perennial credulity
with which the masses accept these worr
and battered shams for genuine, and tht
perfect innocence with which they follow
and rejoice over them. No doubt mos
people have wondered at the vividness ant
strength of the childish Imagination which
enables it to convert rag doll or {
Clipped and featureless fragment of &
wooden doll into living baby. Yet IL
truth the strength of the popular imagina
ton in political matters must be of the
same kind, or it never would prove equa
to the test. To the dispassionate student
nothing is clearer than that party tactics
are inspired in every case by material
selfish desire for solid benefits. Offices
emoluments, power these are the object.
of all political strife in the long run, and
the only objects which keep together the
large body of professional politicians who
see that the machinery is in order fol
smooth working. With these men princi
pies have their use. They are in fact ad
vertisements to party. They are like the
gaudY posters which the circus agents put
up in advance of the show. But principles
in politics are never permitted to interfere
with the main purpose of all political
action, which is to get Offices.
When politicians are forced by the
exigencies OF a campaign to manifest their
indifference to convictions, they are CON-
monty reproached with hypocrisy, but in
truth they have never put on so beguiling
face that intelligent men ought to be de-
ceived by them, and those who are de-
ceived more than once have no excuse.
The readiness of politicians to change
front, to be all things to all men, to indorse
anything which they think will help them,
to turn and twist in any way conceivable,
has long been noted and ridiculed, but
without in the least degree affecting the
success of these stale devices. Campaign
after campaign the same dreary frauds are
ofaeticed, and campaign after campaign
aey capture the voters. Republicans have
e. rather too mucn in the habit OF
4 ribNting the practice of this sort of
IN. ,bsg entirely to the Democrats, and it
nat be confessed that in the last two or
,ree Presidential contests the Democrats
ave H9wn more pliability and less regard
r the eastward decencies than was either
,nsible O. prudent. But politicians are
olitjciap s. SO matter what their party
anne for be- slime being, and Republicans
re not pro Of against the common tempta-
on. and V. Ny ugly evidence of this has
,st been civ ~ IA the politics of Virginia.
n that Sta IL the Republicans have
,rown thems, ,lGet into the arms of the
.eadiusters. or bepudiators, VIGOROUSLY
n the nurnose VI beating the Democrats
nd ttus maintain utG GODlTOl OF Lfle eGSFaI
atronaoe. It is true that there was a
minority cf Repul Msfas who refused to
obmit to this shar. leaeSs programme, and
rho finally left the Convention and made
n Intellectual attempt 70 pflt out a straight
icket. But these W, 're 100 few to Go
nything, and the bulk o. enc representa-
i've men of the party, in cIEaing nearly all
he Federal officials, marc he's over to the
sepudiators, and so sold their birthright
or a mess of pottage.
1t is not often that the ab. 'ect meanness
nd baseness of which the pro. 'essionai pol
tican is capable is more fagr. WITTY exhib-
ted than in this case. Indeed 1t must be
confessed that hitherto there has been
mong Southern Republicans a iendency
o kpavery and brazen defiance OF the de-
;encies OF politics such as we are accus toned
% look for only among the lowest els VS. OF
Democrats. In fact the Southern Rel 'ub-
leans have been anything but credita BE
additions to the party, and their greed an d
,hamelessness have doubtless done much to
Keep alive the Southern Democratic idea
IF Northern Republicans as sinister and
wicked folk. These Virginia Republicans
evidently care nothing at all about the
principle in issue. They are ready to en-
brace a thieving platform as readily as any
other, if by so doing they can better their
position. They have allied themselves
with the Regulators in order to secure the
offices, and they think no shame of the
dirty dodge. In the same way the Repub.
leans Of North Carolina the other day ar
rayed themselves against temperance, SIM
ply because the Democrats had, perhaps
through misrepresentation, taken the moral
side OF the issue. The North Carolina Re-
publicans did not hesitate to indorse
drunkenness, and the Virginia Republicans
have now Endorsed robbery and swindling.