Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-05-09

from their line of argument, they have,
and they we'll know it, been acting as
"cappers" for the Democracy. 1t is strange
that it has never occurred to these blatant
persons to reflect whether they themselves
had in the past ever done anything to
convince the Eastern Republicans OF
the sincerity of their own pro-
fessions. That there exists some reasonable
doubt on this head, however, can be
easily demonstrated, and the demonstra-
ton can be briefly effected by citation
from the speech OF Representative Skin
ner, of New York, delivered last March.
He said 1.-The action of political parties
has been frequently alluded to in this
" discussion, and we have heard quota.
" tions from both political platforms. The
i" following seems to be the state of the
" case a. The Republican platform of
" lSS0contained an anti Chinese plank, and
d" its candidate for President indorsed that
'plank very specifically and satisfactorily
al in his letter of acceptance. 81 The
Democratic platform, in the same year,
" contained a similar plank, declaring
against Chinese immigration, but the
" Democratic candidate failed to allude to
/" the matter in ary way. 49, The result
was, that California and Nevada, seeing
the Republican party and its candidate
pronouncing against Chineseimmigration,
9" snd the Democratic candidate refusing
to commit himself to an Endorsement
/" of the platform, cast their electoral eote
d" for tie Democratic candidate"
That this is correct statement of the
facts no one can deny, and in the face of it
we say it was nonsense for Republicans to
make the outcry they have, and to charge
the party leaders with treachery. The
Republicans of the Pacific coast have been
themselves most to blame. With all their
pretended loyalty to the party they allowed
that despicable and most transparent
forgery, the Morey letter, to sever their
allegiance to Garfield, and they gave the
State of California to the Democrats on
precisely such test difference between
the candidates as Skinner has emphasized
in the above quotation. We have no re-
spect for the party loyalty of men who are
always ready to break away and to turn
on and denounce their own side. An
open enemy is more to be preferred than
false friend, and whatever these people
may think of themselves we do not regard
them as trustworthy Republicans. We
shall see now with what enthusiasm they
will set to work to undo the mischief their
loose tongues have been making during the
past three months. President Arthur has
signed the Chinese bill, and there is no
longer any excuse for abusing him. What
ever merit the measure embodies will be
elected just as thoroughly in ten as it
could have been in twenty years. No
harm at all has been done by the change in
time, in fact, notwithstanding the tre-
mendous hubbub made over the matter. 1t
is of no consequence that some Republican
Congressman opposed the bill, for it is law,
by the act of Republican President.
Had it not been signed we should have
ascribed its failure largely to the vicious
and imbecile rawlings of these recreant
Republicans. Fortunately, however, it
appears that the President is unconscious
IS b1,- o,I l. ~ hoe
JUDGED by their offensive ebullitions.
But we have a desire to know whether
they will now go on and assist in procuring
another Democratic victory, as being in the
line of precedent when the Republican
National party has been making special
concessions to California, or whether they
will stand in honestly and squarely with
their party, and help to show that it knows
how to do its duty to the national organiza-
tion. As the case stands, it will be hard
for the Democrats to make any capital out
of the Chinese question in the coming
campaign. The fact that the President has
signed the bill will overcome all talk about
Hoar and Dawes and Edmunds. There
will be no getting over that fact. There
will be nothing to agitate for in that di-
rection, and if the Republicans are equal
to their opportunities there will be nothing
to prevent them from carrying the State in
November.
So far they have been hurting themselves
more than the Democrats have been hurt
ing them. They have been the bitterest
denouncers of the Administration and of
all their party associates and friends. And
quite half the hardest labor of the cam.
paign will consist, for them, in getting
back to the point they occupied before
they lost their heads over this question.
Fortunately there is still plenty of time
for everybody to cool down and prepare for
serious business. This termination of the
Chinese controversy will change the polit-
ical prospects largely. It looked for time
as if the best men in the Republican party
could hardly be persuaded to take nomina.
UlOuS lille lCdA, aaO O NCdh tiCnCb
have assured defeat at the polls. The
signing of the Chinese bill, however, re-
moves that danger. We shall now look
forward confidently to the nominating
Convention, certain that there will be no
difficulty in making strong ticket. Presi-
dent Arthur will not be burned in effigy
any more, we conclude. The ninety thou
sand Chinese who, on paper, have been
affrighting the weak minded, will stay at
home. The politicians will have to revise
their programme, and hunt for new issues.
And we hope that the Jonahs of the Re-
publican party will subside quietly into the
hold of the vessel, and refrain from at
tempts to scuttle her when they are there.
THE IRISH TRAGEDY.
The opinion of the most thoughtful and