Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-05-19
THE REVOLT IN PENNSYLVANIA.

futile policy of reform within the party" |
have been employed to that end. But the
only effect of these endeavors has been to |
demonstrate more plainly the total i'm.
way. The Republican organization in
Pennsylvania has been SO long under the
control of I" bosses that they have grown
to regard it as a family estate. While
Simon Cameron held the helm discomfort
was kept in allegiance, for he was undoubt-
eddy a strong and able man, and knew
how to make himself respected as well as
feared. But since he retired from politics
and handed the management over to his
son Don, who has none of his great quail
ties, but all of his bad ones exaggerated,
the long smoldering disafection has be-
come unmanageable. And it was time, for
corruption and partisan tyranny had been
carried to almost incredible lengths. The
loyalty of Republicans, based on their
recollection OF what the party had accom-
plished in the past, was relied on to
bolster up State despotism which was as
venal and shameless as Tweedism, which
excluded honest men from public life,
which gave power and pelf to q hoard of
rascally Adventures, and which enabled the
Camerons to run the State for their per-
ssnal advancement, and to defy the ex-
pressed wishes OF the rank and. file in the
most cynical and contemptuous fashion.
Experience showed that all efforts to
cure these evils from within the party must
be futile, because the "bosses had fall
control of all the party machinery, and
could and did Illustrate every attempt to
curtail their power. The late State Con-
vention was the last despairing attempt
in this direction, and its result was 30
preposterous that nothing was left but
open secession. The chooses" proposed
to meet the Independents half way, and
their plan was characteristics. They were
to make the State ticket, and in return the
Independents were to put what they
pleased in the platform. So the most
lofty professions of reform appeared in the
platform, and above them was thorough
"boss ticket. The device was too crude.
The Independents had gone too far to be
hoodwinked by so palpable q deception.
They saw that the only object of the
Camerons was to obtain their votes, and
that when the Irregular ticket had been
elected, all the fine platform professions
would be quietly ignored. 1t was too
absurd a thing to suppose that ticket
chosen by the "bosses" could be relied
upon to put them down. The Independ.
ents would have been very poor politicians
if they had not realized this at once. They
did realize it, and the result is that they
have rejected the olive branch, and de-
clared war upon "Bossism."
The outcome of the struggle can hardly
be anything else than Democratic VIC
tory, but the Independents understand
and are prepared for this. They have
ceased to be amenable to the stalwart :"
argument that every species of abuse
within the party is preferable to schism
which will defeat it. They do not believe
this. They are convinced that unless the
present leaders of the party are thrust
from power it will become necessary
to crush the organization which supports
them. They hold, logically, that what
ever methods are necessary to put the
"bosses down are justi6able, and that q
temporary defeat of the party cannot
weigh for moment against the permanent
evils inseparable from further liberation of
the corrupt rule of these men. They have
for years been patient and hoping against
hope Again and again they have yielded to
the urgent solicitations of the " stalwarts "
and have voted the straight ticket !;
and year after year they have discovered
after the election that their complaisance
had only served to fortify the abuses OF
which they complained. There would be
nothing to choose between the Democratic
and Republican parties if the latter could
be relied upon, like the former, to vote
the party ticket under all circumstances.
Theae is nothing to choose between the
Democrats and such Republicans as are
found in the ranks of the bosses" Old
Simon Cameron is reported to have said
the other day that he would vote for an
OK, if the OK had received his nomina-
ton regularly. The doctrine of that
observation is the doctrine which corrupts
all political organizations eventually, and
which makes their dissolution necessary.
The man who will "vote for an OK,
will vote for the worst scoundrel in the
country, and will support at the same time
the most fagitious platform of principles.
In short, this is characterization in pol.
itics. 1t is that stage of intellectual de.
generation in which the freeman surrenders
his liberty and his conscience to political
priest, and accepts the absolution of the
latter as full discharge for all knaveries
and dishonesties conceivable. Such q
man in politics is as dangerous to liberty
as priest.ridden men are in religious mat.
tiers. He will at the bidding of his masters
vote to establish an imperial dynasty as
soon as anything else. He has transformed
the political machine into a sort of divin-
ity, and he worships it blindlY and IN.
questioningly. Whenever party has got
to the point at which it is prepared to vote
for can OK" it has outlived its useful
ness, and men who still retain their self
respect, their independence of Judgment,
their regard for morality and pure govern
ment, are under obligation to come out
from the corrupted organization, and op-
pose themselves to it. And this is what
is about to happen in Pennsylvania. The
uncorrupted Republicans have been forced
to make their election, and they have made
it. Hereafter " Bossism" can expect moth
ing from them but opposition, and the new
movement will, almost beyond doubt,
give it its death blow in that State, and at