Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-10-11
TIE LINE OF The PRESIDENTIAL sue
CESSIoT,

lJEH6Dt.
the line of Presidential succession. Should
President Arthur die before the expiration
of his term the ensuing administration
win therefore be Democratic, and this is
the nearest approach to the Presidency
that party has enjoyed for more than
twenty years. just now there is dispo-
sition among the Republican Senators and
political managers to accuse the Democrats
of having misbehaved in some way by tax
ing advantage of the majority they pos
sessed. Wehavealready said what we think
of this view of the case, but if the present
state of affairs is to exercise any useful
influence upon politics, it viii be necessary
to look very much further aield for the
location of the responsibility. It is per-
fectly true, as we pointed out yesterday,
that the resignation of Senators Conkling
and Platt made the election of Democrat
as President possible. But it is quite
as true that the control of the Senate was
lost to the Republican party bycauses which
extend much further back in political his.
tory. A few years ago the Republicans were
SO strong in the Senate that they could do
ANYTHING. A short time before that they
were equally strong in both branches of
Congress. They lost their hold on the
National Legislature through the tyranny
of the machine" The control of the
party organization was gradually monopo.
lied by few men, who prided them
selves upon their skill as managers ="
They undertook to, and for time actually
did, govern the most important States in
the Union. Beginning with a superb
party organization and universal fealty
and enthusiasm, they thought it possible
to crystalline all these forces into politi-
cal machine which should be guided by
themselves. Their conviction of the
strength of the machine next led them to
attach slight Importance to the principles
and the moralities of the party. They
found that the men who were most easily
used were men of loose character, and they
shut their eyes to the dishonesty of their
satellites in consideration of their fidelity.
Thus in course of time the fmachine "
came to be run in the interest of the
clique of managers referred to, and by the
adroitness of their shrewd but dishonest
lieutenants. But all this time the rank
and file of the party had been taking notes,
and they were becoming more dissatisfied
every day. Grants second term was the
,potheosis of machine government. 1t
al as in vain that the press exposed and
denounced the corruption which had then
become fragrant in high places. The pub
lie protest was ignored, or it was only
taken notice of for the purpose of making
more open recognition of the accused per-
sons. The "machine" managers thought
they could afford to laug Oh at the anger of
the rank and file. They believed that they
could nominate and elect whoever they
chose. They discovered that though it
was possible to pack conventions it was
quite another thing to obtain majorities
at the polls. In short the strength of the
Republican party began to decline. 1t
was like a man bleeding to death. As the
October and November elections came
round State after State dropped out of the
Republican line. It was not that the
Democrats were trusted more, but that
there was strong determination to punish
the arrogance and immortality of the poll
ticians who had undertaken to contract
away the preferences of free men. When
Grant went out of Office the Republican
party was no longer supreme, and from
that day onward it has had an uphill
struggle to regain its power.
The party was paralyzed in Congress by
the course of the machine men, and it
has been retarded since by the fear that
these men would again seize the reins if it
was rehabilitated. Yet notwithstanding
the obviousness of these facts the ina
chine leaders have been blind to the real
cause of their defeats, and instead of re-
firing to make room for better men they
have repeatedly endeavored to renew the
old ruinous tactics. In Pennsylvania, in
Illinois, in New York, they have chung
desperately to the methods which had so
nearly destroyed the organization, and
even now, with all the sharp and severe
lessons of the past eight years to reinforce
their Judgment, we End them laboring to
utilize the removal of President Garfield
by erecting upon his grave another admin
istration of the type so dear to them,
though so hateful to the people. They are
only anxious that President Arthur should
pattern after Grant. They have already
forgotten what Grants policy resulted in.
They cannot even see that the very event
which at this moment they deplore so
loudly the placing OF Democrat in the
direct line Of succession to the Presidency,
that is to say is their own work. They
would shuttle off the responsibility on to
the shoulders of the Democrats, whom they
most irrationally accuse OF :" want of pa
triotism" fornot being magnanimous enough
to abandon an advantage which no partisan
was ever known to surrender.
The occasion is one for cool reflection.
If the country is to get any good out of it,
it must recognize the influence of the
machine in the present situation. 1t
is to that influence the people owe the
unprecedented fact that they are to have a
Republican President and Democratic
Vice-President. There is danger in the
conjunction, beyond doubt. but it is a
danger which under the circumstances was
unavoidable. and if by mourning this evil
we escape repetition of the machine +"
experiments which have already done so
much mischief, it may have been worth
while after all. Senator Bayard is man
of high character and unimpeachable life.
He is personally as well fitted to honor the
distinguished position to which he has been
called, as any man who could be named.
We have no doubt that he will do his duty
conscientiously and WELL But he never
could have occupied the Office of Vice.