Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-08-08

which discerns in them what it is
| pleased to call "a Fiendish Threat" and
which refers to them In the following
highly tropical language: "a horror that
makes ones blood run cold is excited at
the iendish and nlalevolent threats that
"pervade the above extract. It's dips and
"spnrs and angles all lead to vein
reeking with perjury, eddying with cor.
"ruption, and hideous with human gore. u
Now we really had no idea that we were
discovering "yein of this remarkable
character when we wrote the "above ex.
tract, nor are we able to imagine wha,
such singular "vein " would look like,
even with the assistance of the Delta.
soul.harrowing description. A vein which
reeks with perjury, eddies with corruption.
and is hideous with human gore. ought
however, to be perfect Bonanza to the
discoverer, and if samples of the ore can
be taken out and cent to the State Fair.
our esteemed contemporary could open a
first-class side-show on the strength OF
them.
It's possible that the kind of writing
OF which we have given specimen may
suit the neighborhood of Mussel Slough.
where all discussion seems to be conducted
at temperature of hundred and twenty
degrees in tie shade, and where the DO.
litical fapdoodle," which generation
ago tickled the ears of Southern audiences,
but which has been outgrown everywhere
else, still retains its pristine attractions.
But we are inclined to think that the brill.
fancy of Imagination which converted our
| innocent remarks into "a Fiendish
Threat, is not fortified with reasoning
power sufficient TO demonstrate the appo.
STIFFNESS of the .Delta's Characterization.
As we are in the habit of addressing an.
diences who look for dispassionate argu.
ment, and are not satisfied with verbal
fireworks, we cannot discuss this cues.
ton exacslyfrom our contemporaries stand
point. All that we can do is to maintain
the legitimacy of our previous remarks,
and to support them with some
further considerations. We have said
that the pledges demanded by the Tulart
Autobiography League could only lead te
the disappointment of those who insist
upon them. The justification of this OBJ
servation appears to us by no means diff
cult. When voters require that candi
dates shall pledge themselves to PROPOSE
tions of the equity and practicableness O.
which they have no knowledge, or which
on their face appear inequitable and i'm
practicable, it does not iced supernatural
intelligence to perceive that honest ant
self-respecting men will not take thes,
pledges. No man who is honest will prom
Use to do that which he does not know
how to do, or that the doing of which
would or might inflict wrong upon any o
his fellow. citizens. No man who is homes,
will promise to carry out policy which
he does not understand. No man who i,
honest will undertake to settle question
he does not understand, in a certain way
Whoever is willing to promise these thing.
is thereby convicted of being dishonest.
Those who are dishonest enough to take
Acast-iron pledges of the kind referred TO-
are obviously dishonest enough to break
them afterwards. Those who have so Lit,
PIE regard for the obligations of pledge al
70 take those which, for all they know, are
Totally impracticable, are obviously ben,
upon cheating the voters into supporting
Them, and do not care anything for the
Future. And it really does not require
elaborate argument to sustain this PROPOSE.
tIon, for political experience fully confirms
BITS accuracy. The instances in which can.
didates have been elected upon extravagant
and cast-iron pledges are invariably also
th instances in which the purposes of
the voters have been defeated through the
treachery of the candidates. To all prac.
tical politicians this is truism, though i.
does not appear to be at all understood in
the Mussel Slough region, or by the visalia
tDelta. And because it is truism the
kEcoRD UNION is entirely warranted in
predicting the failure of the familiar but
time -dishonored experiment which the
Efulare Autobiography Leagues now max.
ENG. Ii, however, it is =" fiendish threat y
to say that folly and ignorance and blind
2creduiity are certain to bring defeat upon
gall who rely upon them, then we must
plead guilty, for that certainly is what we
believe, and what we have undertaken to
express as plainly as possible. We have
seen too many of these pledge experiments
to be mistaken as to their outcome. The
Tuiare Anti-Monopoly League has uncon-
sciousiy framed series of tests the opera.
ton of which is to exclude trustworthy
men from candidacy. No doubt they think
the opposite, but we must point out that
they have no justification for so thinking.
because all political experience is dead
against them.
The history OF cast-iron pledges is his.
tory of successful demagogism and BETRAYED
constituencies, all the world over. And IL
is clear, also, that these are precisely the
results which sensible men mos. anticipate
in such cases. To those voters who only
consult their passions and prejudices. the
pledge system doubtless seems calculated
to insure the carrying out of their purposes,
however extravagant and unreasonable the
latter may be. But if the railroad com.
pany were the corrupt and wicked corpora.
ton 1t is reported to be by these people, it
would smile at the gullibility of the TuIare
Anti Monopoly League, for it would be
Well assured that it lad nothing to fear
from the kind of men that organization has
chosen to support. The candidates who
are willing and ready to promise whatever
is asked OF them, OF course do not get
any value upon these promises. Thew
do not consider themselves as nnde,
any real obligation. They find it neces.
sary to say certain things in order
to get votes, and they therefore say them.
But if they are elected their first thought
is to make the most Of their new Office. and
they can always be guaranteed to follow
the course which will feather their own
nests, regardless of the interests and
wishes of those who elected them. The
history of politics in California teaches thia
as plainly as it can be taught, and if the
Tulsre Autobiography League is deter
mined to ignore the lessons of the past, il
Of course will have to take the conse.
quences. But as We remarked before, it is
impossible to make siIk purse outof sow's
ear, aod it is equally impracticable to make
Trustworthy officer out of candidate
who is willing to pledge himself blindly
and recklessly, and to extravagant and in