Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-07-13

He has seen dem5 gogUe5 chmo 10 power
hundred times, by playing the same shall
low tricks. Yet every time the demagogue
comes forward with his cant OF patriotism
and public spirit he is accepted anew, and
no amount of experience teaches the people
that their tests of political sincerity are
wrong. 1t is foolish to pretend that politi-
cal corruption is mysterious in its origin.
It's origin is as plain as the sun at noon
day. The voters themselves have created
and maintained it, by putting premium
on hypocrisy and insincerity, and By max
ing it understood that they prefer specious
professions, no matter how fraudulent, to
those guarantees of honest service which
consist in established integrity of char
acter.
Honest men do not become rogues after
they have been elected to office. When
Office holders betray the public it is be-
cause they have returned to their natural
habits because they were rogues all the
time, but succeeded in deceiving the
voters during their candidacy. Aud this
kind of deception requires a certain persist
ence in popular blindness which seems to
belong to politics. In business transac-
tions the American citizen has his eyes
wide open. He proceeds in that region of
action upon common sense principles. He
does not allow himself to be cajoled with
mere words. He does not ignore the
character of those with whom he deals.
He gives their due value to the recog-
nized proofs of integrity in his fellows.
He distinguishes clearly between the I'M
scrupulous but plausible adventurer and
the sterling business man. But as soon as
he goes into politics he puts bandages over
his eyes. The veriest knave can then
hoodwink him. He throws up his hat
at the regulation platitudes, and becomes
enthusiastic over the candidacy of any
humbug who has impudence enough to
pledge himself to whatever he thinks the
people want. And it does not signify
how VIGOROUSLY bad may be the character
OF the candidate. Ii he is profuse enough
with his promises the people shut their
eyes to the only trustworthy indications of
his nature, and then, when they have
elected him, and he proves venal and cor
rupt, they are surprised that it should
be so.
They have no justification for surprise,
however,. To choose men in such way is
to prefer bad men to good, and to exclude
the trustworthy from politics. The expe-
rience of California in this connection has
been very wide. How many good Legisla-
lures have we had during the past twenty
years? Is it not the fact that for long
time past each Legislature has been
thought the worst? We have elected
Legislatures on the special basis of their
alleged hostility to corporations. How
have they fulfilled their pledges? We can
recall many instances in which they have
introduced Matchmaking measures but not
one in which they have advanced the pub
lie interests. There was q Legislature in
session not very long ago which proved ex.
tremely fertile in this kind of work.
How is it that such rogues get into the
Legislature? 1t is because the people send
them there. They are picked out from
their several communities as representa-
tives, and if they really were that they
would represent a very hopeless state of
public morals. What they do represent is
the perverse judgment of the majority of
the voters, and as long as the majority of
the voters persist in preferring tinsel to
gold, and sham to reality, just so long will
they be misrepresented by the thieves and
blackmailers to whom we have reference.
1t ID interesting to observe, also, that in
making these blunders of selection a great
many people think they are displaying
peculiar depth of perception. For ex-
ample, journal like the RECoRD.UNIoN
disinterestedly advises the voters to avoid
candidates who have nothing but their
fuency of profession to recommend them.
Thereupon many persons who are wise in
their own conceit jump to the conclusion
that there must be some deep-laid plot be-
hind this advice, and so they go and vote
for the men they ought to have voted
against In all such instances the event
has indicated our Judgment, for all
such candidates have turned out
frauds. This year the people have
another opportunity of testing their
political sagacity, VIII they again ignore
the teachings of experience again support
the most blatant humbugs; and then again
subject themselves to the notwithstanding
process which follows SO rapidly upon cleo.
ton They have a greater stake in the
matter than we have. They have the
same means of information and judgment.
But we tell them plainly that unless they
are resolute to apply practical common
sense tests to their candidates unless
they choose men for what they have done,
instead Of for what they promise TO do
they will only prepare for themselves a
fresh chapter of disappointments, to be
added to the melancholy history of politi-
cal failures which the past has already
afforded. There is only one way of secur-
ing honesty in politics, but it is simple
enough, if the people will but employ it.
Judge candidates by their past, and never
take them on trust at their own estimate,
and the offices will be filed by men who
can be trusted, and who will not betray
their constituents.