Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-03-10
TIE CITY ELECTION.

cause TO congratulate LnenselfSs upoH, anu
whatever temporary chagrin may be felt
by those who were on the losing side, we
are confident that reflection will reconcile
even them to an outcome which vindicates
the capacity of this community for IN
telligent self-government. The election OF
Mr.. Brown as First Trustee was primarily
brought about by the unwarrantabls at
tempt of the Republican City Committee
to use the party machinery in the interest
of a SINGLE candidate. The committee |
lost sight of its duty to the party, and at
tempted to sell it out by procuring the |
nomination of Mr.. Green through the aid |
of Democratic votes. The rank-and-tile OF
the Republicans resented this illegltimate
use of the party machinery. and the result |
was a Citizens Convention, which put IN
nomination the ticket just elected. The
Republicans who adhered to the nominees
of the packed Convention are the only
ones who made any mistake in this matter.
They failed to realize that the moment the
committee undertook to foist candidate
upon the party by Democratic votes, that
moment it became the duty of self
respecting Republicans to repudiate the
usurpation, and to take steps to condemn
it in the most emphatic way. 1t was time
that "machine rule was protested
against and rebuked in this city. 1t was
time that the attempts of a handful of men
to use the Republican party in utter disre-
gard of the wishes of the party itself,
should be resisted. And the measures taken
to that end have, we are very glad to be
able to say, been quite successful. The
{" machine" has been publicly condemned.
The Republicans have asserted their right
to make their own selections for office.
The committee has been taught lesson
which we trust viii not soon be forgotten,
and candidates have had their eyes opened
to the fact that it is not enough to secure
the good offices of the machine, " but that
the Republican voters generally must be
won over before nomination viii possess
any party significance.
So far as there can be said to have been
any party meaning in the late election, 1t
was a rebuke administered by the major
itv of the Republicans to their own com-
mittee, and to the candidates who had
undertaken to secure nominations without
consulting the party. No Republican who
voted for Mr.. Brown feels that he has in
any way severed his party affiliations.
There has been no breaking up of the
marty. The Republicans OF Sacramento
have simply revolted against machine and
ring rule, and shown their determination
not to submit to any further impositlens
of that kind. But the party aspect of the
election is merely one of its aspects. After
Mr.. Green had been nominated his friends
undertook to make square issue on the
questions of taxation and debris. They
pIacarded the city with circulars declaring
him the exponent of anti-debris and low
taxes" At meeting held on Monday
night one of the speakers went so far as to
assert that if Mr.. Green was elected the
debris question would be settled in six
months by stopping hydraulic mining. The
Bee stated that the great issue was Zone
"per cent. versus two per cent. And the
people, having these issues SO thrust upon
them, accepted and passed Judgment upon
them.
They saw that !Mr. Green's candidacy
had been made the rallying point for those
who favor reputation of the municipal
obligations under various disguises and
shams for those who have been attempt
ing to commit the city to an expensive liti-
CATION with the hydraulic miners, to the
end that attorneys fees might be plentiful ];
for those who sought to entrap the conf
munity into indorsing an impossible and
ruinous scheme of taxation; and they
acted upon what they saw. The course OF
the City Committee in postponing the
nominating Convention to the eve of cleo
ton had left scarcely any time for discus
sion of the issues presented. No doubt
this postponement was part OF the plot to
force particular candidates upon the peo-
pie. But it failed. The people had re-
hected on the debt and debris questions
previously. They had no sympathy with
reputation, and they did not believe that
the debris question could be settled by
putting the city in the hands of the law
yers. So they voted down the reputation
and the anti-debris propositions together
with the "machine usurpation pro-
gramme, and there can be no question that
they accomplished an excellent days work.
The fight is over and won. The bad ad-
vice has been rejected, the illegitimate
schemes have been defeated. For this we
should all be thankful. The Republican
party of Sacramento has not been damaged
in the least, nor has the allegiance of its
members to principles been shaken. They
will not accept machine rule as a substi-
tute for principle. That is all they have
declared. For the rest, good city gov
ernmenb mas Deen secuEeu. sNoDouy has
any doubt on that point The peopls havepro-
nounced in favor OF an honorable, straight
forward, manly course in regard to their
obligations, and in favor of broad and
vigorous policy on the debris question.
The Democrats have been surprised into
doing good action for once, and taking it
all round we cannot perceive that anybody
has cause for dissatisfaction or regret, if
we except the few who undertook to do
what they had no right to do, and were
very properly and fortunately bafied in
their attempt,
RANK COMMUNISM.