Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-08-18
THE SAND LOT AND THE DEMOCRACY.

THE SAND LOT AND THE DEMOCRACY.
The long struggle over the spoils between
the San Francisco Democrats and the Sand
lotters has ended in the usual way. An
alliance and division have been effected,
the Democrats giving the Sandlotters the
best and most important of the offices, and |
thus conceiing to that element the control |
of the Democratic party. This event has
much more than local interest, for it in.
wolves the dominance of the communistic |
element in Democratic State politics as
we'll The class of men who have thus !
been given the lead in the San Francisco
Democracy are at once the most worthless |
and mischievous element in politics. They
embrace all the lowest order Of corner
grocery loafers, bar.room statesmen, igno-
rant ranters, venal vote.sellers, trouble
breeding communists, and enemies OF law
and order, in the metropolis. They are
under The lead of the most interruptions
and dishonest demagogues. They can be
counted on to support and take their share
in whatever thieying schemes their
bosses may devise, and they will vote
early and often for any rascal who may By
hook or crook secure a nomination. This
is the kind OF allies the Democracy of
San Francisco has surrendered to, and put
in the van OF their battle, and it is upon
the strength of such an alliance that they
are about to ask the citizens of San Fran
cisco to elect their candidates and these Of
the Sandlot. That unfortunate city has
suffered enough in the past from the
rogues who have in unending succession
fastened themselves upon her treasury,
but the arrangement just concluded threat
ems her with an era of rascality to which
everything that has gone before will seem
pure in comparison.
The Democracy has abandoned even the
pretense OF regard for the general welfare
in making this shameful alliance 1t has
thrown away every disguise and announced
itself as DESTROYS of nothing but plumber.
1t proposes to put the chief municipal
! Offices in the hands Of the nominees of men
who do not understand the first principles of
honest administration, and who if they did
understand those principles would never
act upon them. Il is said that Kalloch is
at the bottom of the recent arrangement.
That though his reputation is SO bad that
the Democrats dare not avow their connec-
ton with him, yet MS control of the Com
munistic clement is SO absolute that the
Democratic managers have been forced to
accept his terms, and to content them
selves with his leavings. Kalloch has been
more shrewd than Kearney. The latter
has lost his influence by trying to raise the
standard of his followers Kalloch knew
better than that, and he has retained his
authority by keeping carefully on the same
level with his supporters. The prospect
for San Francisco is dark one. There is
indeed some present dissatisfaction among
those old-time Democrats who have failed
to keep up with the times, and who are
foolish enough to imagine that there is
still room for decency and patriotism in
their party. But the probability that
there are enough of these Democrats to
produce any considerable affect upon the
vote is very slight. It is a Democratic
characteristic to vote the straight ticket
without regard to consequences, and no
matter how bad the ticket may be this
blind fidelity to the dictates Of the leaders
is generally observed.
1t would be idle to shut our eyes to the
fact tha5 the Democrats and Sandlotters in
combination form a strong party. The
only question is whether they control votes
enough to carry the day. The Republicans
viii of course vote their ticket solidly, and
if there is any decent floating vote in the
city it ought to be found on the side of the
Republicans. But we have seen too much
of San Francisco politics to put much faith
in this kind Of reinforcement, and as the
case stands we fear the Democrat Com
munists have the odds in favor of them.
II the decent elements of San Francisco
were in the habit of going to the polls on
election day in anything like their full
strength, the situation would be more hope
full, though it has for some years been ex-
tremely doubtful whether these elements
really possess majority on full count.
The Republican press, however, has an ex-
cellent opportunity to show its mettle, for
it certainly has never had a more vulner-
able foe to encounter, and it ought to do
effective work in the remaining time. The
success Of the Democrat Communist COM
bination would be calamitous not only for
San Francisco but for the whole State. 1t
would necessarily set the political Keynote
for State politics as regards the Democratic
party, and all the Democratic influences
emanating from San Francisco would
thenceforth be of the most Objectionable
character. We hope still that the corrupt
alliance may be defeated, and this must
also be the desire not only Of honest men
throughout the State, but of all country
Democrats who wish to see their party
worth belonging to.
~ ~-
TICHBoREE-FERRIs AGAIN.