Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-10-24
THE ELECTION TO-DAY.

An election will be held to-day to fill the
Office OF Second Trustee of this city. The
Republicans have nominated John Ryan
for the position, and the Democrats nave
nominated Daniel Brown. Mr.. Ryan has
the best qualifications, and he ought to be
elected. Republicans viii, we hope, turn
out to man and vote for him. He can
only be beaten by the negligence of those
who are under obligations to support him,
and we have no fear that they viii fail in
their duty. Some efforts have been made
to create the impression that Republicans
who desired the nomination Of Mr.. Knox
will not vote fer Mr.. Ryan. This, how
ever, is report which has no foundation
in fact. and it probably originated in the
Democratic camp. The friends OF Mr..
Knox who went into the primary election
and accepted the conditions Of the contest
will az matter of course continue faithful
to their pledge. They will all vote and
work for Mr.. Ryan. As for Mr.. Knox
himself, he has openly declared that ne
would rather have been beaten by John
Ryan than by any other man he knew, since
he is satisfied that Ryan will make good
Second Trustee. There is, however, one
consideration which requires comment at
this moment. We refer to the fallacy
that there is mo politics in this election.
Republicans cannot afford to accept
any doctrine of that kind. There is
sspolitics in the office Of Second Trustee,
and the Democrats at least understand
that fact thoroughly. They understand
how to make such an Office serve them
well, and if they obtain it they will make
use of it for all it is worth. Republicans
cannot afford to be less sagacious and fore
sighted, and therefore they should come
out and vote as unfailingly as though this
was general election. Shrewd party
managers know very well that there are
no Insignificant things i'll politics. A small
Office may at any moment prove to be the
key of an important situation, and it may
decide between victory or defeat even in a
State election. The way to keep up party
supremacy is to treat every election seri-
ously, just as the wise commander in time
of war pays as much attention to his pick
cts as to anything else. Young men who
are looking aboat them to pick up ideas of
political management cannot do better than
to make for themselves the rule that moth
ing is unimportant in this kind of warfare.
To-day we may seem to be electiug a Sec
ond Trustee only, but year hence the
choice we are about to make may deter
mine the position of the county, and the
position of the county may settle that of
the State. The Democrats have shown
more shrewdness than their opponents in
this regard. They have in fact kept
their organization in working order
by refusing to decline any contests, even
where they possessed no chance of win
ming Thus they have preserved their
discipline, and secured thorough utiliza-
ton of their whols strength whenever it is
needed. The Republicans on their part
have lost many great battles by yielding to
the delusion that only the larger contests
were important, and SO neglectipg appar-
emily small elections until their organiza-
ton had become demoralized, and they
could not poll its full strength even in an
emergency. And remember that the most
fatal mistake of all in politics is to refrain
from voting for your party nominee on the
ground that ''he is sure to be elected,
anyhow" More men have been beaten
by that over confidence than in any other
way. Whoever wishes to become prac-
teal politician must shun this pitfall
resolutely. 1t is the duty of every party
man to vote his ticket when it is sound
one, as now, and it is none of his business
who else votes. He must not count upon
any vote but his own, and that he should
poll promptly. Mr.. Ryan ought to be
elected by considerable majority. The
larger it is the better the discipline of the
party will appear to be.