Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-03-12
ps 9ugtlfs gerald.
8Aeald b Doyoestsd.
fssa Yraneisco Hxaminss.l

- 84~@>e >eS~~
Thssp han unmistakable dlspo-
6ltlon abroad among the people to
@poat legislstors suspected Of COZ
!: 10pt10n - they deserve, and the
mombo themselves seem to be
snare ef the feeling with which
tAoir conduct 10 viewed. Hereto
1oco Is hns been the custom. after
The adjournment of the Legisla-
tDgos TOR our returned representa-
nlPoo " brssent themselves rather
nnnogo0sly around the streets.
Hand Shaksnks, congratulations
sid drinks ere In order on such
ooooalone. For . week or ten days
of3er adjournment q dozen or more
ronroeentattves- could always be
l6Snd daring the busy part Of the
~ on the street In the vicinity OF
ehS southwest corner Of Californis
oo6y Montgomery. The popular
ooloou In that locality used At such
1imee 20 drive . thriving business
vith legislators and their friends.
Hat that Il all changed this time.
19oresontstiv have not yet beer
nbje 20 command courage enough
Z g put In an appearance in their nc.
ouitomod haunts. They are con-
oplcuous by their absence from
the otroot. Statesmen are not
n reuuest. Constituents are not
onthuciAstic. Very much the c0u.
frary indeed. They are disgustsd
andf irAts. and Inclined to- express
their severe displeasure. and very
1ustly 20. The men whom they
elected to represent their Interests
have betrayed them. Vetes have
han traded on at Sacra ment0 as II
they were the private chAttel prop
erty Of the members. It 10 an open
ooorot that votes on the Debris bill
Wero bousht and paid for at so
muoh oach. Five hundred dollars,
Is is understood, was paid iu ad-
Vance. and i've hundred more upon
the 0nal defeat Of the Repeal bill.
The fellows who sold the mselves at
that ngurs are freely spoken Of as
the ssl0w priced men" Others had
@ be- secured at = higher figure
Tue tariff was advanced when y
npeoch had to be made. In one
notable case IL is said that q mem.
hor required twenty. five. hundred
dollars additional for delivering an
asgumsnt. The risk he ran Of los
iu4 his influence and popularity
With HE constituents is reported To
have been au element that entered
Into the bargaining for his price.
A. the last moment SONS of
the low.priced men "kicked," to
uss the expressive phrase Of the
lobby. They found out that they
had cold themselves too eheaply {;
that better prices were obtainable,
and they struck for more. Threats
were made, it 10 alleged, that they
would hold on to the $500 paid In
advance, and would "go back" on
their promises unless they were
paid more. This little difficulty
took some time to adjust, aud that
II said to have been the reasnn why
tt look I'd At one time as If the Repeal
bill would pass. The bosses had 10
yield In the end, and having ''come
down" the second time, the Repeal
bill was taken up out Of order and
killed. All these things hung in
the balance until the low-priced
loglalators were ''seen" the second
time. The lobbyists are very wroth
at the men who "kicked" and
made their bad faith an excuse for
ssgiving them away.n The names
OF the kickers are being banded
nbopt wtthout regard to that kind
Of honor that Is usually supposed
- prevail among thieves. The in
I Vard0ees Of the whole bad business
- being discussed with an out.
spoken cand0r quite remarkable.
Seriously. this low moral condi.
tl6n Of the peoples representatives
pfesents considerations to every
redsCting citizen that are of the
very gravest character. 1t 10 idle
to blink the fact that mem bers
have been corruptly Influenced.
The Interests Of the people were
undoubtedly sold for so much coin.
From ten to twenty millions worth
Of the peoples taxable property 10
- BE- confiscated In order to serve
the private interests of few
ewamp-land owners. II this can
be done with impunity, how long
will It be before the whole proper
~ of the many is confiscated for
the benefit Of the few?
What 10 the remedy? The truth
10 that dishonesty In public life Is
not sufficiently reprobated. It
ought to be esteemed the 0dious
thing tt Ii. Men who practice 1t
ought to be treated a. outlaws. In
short, they ought be boycotted.
No honest man or woman should
rooognize them In social life. On
the streets, IN the cars and every.
whore such men should be avoided
- moral lepers. They are conspi-
rntors against representative insti.
tutl0ns. They are hired plunder-
err Of the public treasury. They
are impregnating the whole polit.
ioal atmosphere with o corruption
that II not checked, must sooner
or later destroy this Government
~ the people. Every man who
gives . friendly recognition to .
false or corrupt representative
lo0dD Afd-and comfort to an enemy
of bis country. AS lesson and
warning to all future legislators,
the oorruptionists who have just
Eotevned from Sscra msnto, sho uld
- boycottsd.