Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-08-31
THE WORK OF THs cosvEsrros.

the present moment the one danger most
to be avoided is a servile mimicry of the
Democratic policy. In order to form an
intelligent idea OF the probable result OF
such an imitation it may be worth while
TO recall some well known but perhaps not
sufficiently Needed political occurrences,
The history of the national Democracy
since the close of the rebellion has been
prolific in lessons of the kind we refer to.
That party has for twenty years been
vainly striving to regain power by copying
tie Republican policy. Every Presiden.
tial year its Conventions have endeayored
to formulate platforms which should make
the organization appear if possible more
Republican than the Republicans. With
the same end in view it has taken Repub.
licans like Horace Greeley, and Union
Generals like Hancock, for its candidates
1t has in fact used every means that
could be thought of to persuade the voters
tina. it was only Republican party with
a faint difference. And in spite of all
these sedulous efforts in spite OF the
abandonment of every original Democratic
principle in spite of the reputation even
OF Free Trade it has been beaten at the
polls with monotonous regularity every
time.
In cannot be doubted by sagacious poll
ticians that the Democracy would have
done very much better had it struck out
views of its own, instead OF copying those
of its opponents, and had it put up as
candidates the best men Of its own faith,
instead of trying to make it appear that it
did not any longer believe in its original
doctrines, and that it was not willing to
trust its own most prominent members
But the explanation of its uninterrupted
defeats lies mainly in its servile imitation
of its adversaries, and the philosophy of
this may well be commended to the most
serious attention of the California Repub.
licans. When one party holds Conven.
ton and adopts platform, there may be
doubts about its sincerity on this or that
issue. But when second party subse-
quently holds Convention, and copies the
platform of the first, its action constitutes
/ at once an Endorsement of the first party,
and disparagement of itself. For if two
parties advance the same views on any
issue, the rational presumption is that the
one which first adopts that view is the
more sincere of the two; and that the
second, in following suit, has virtually
recognized the wisdom and soundness oil
its adversary. II follows from this tina,
such action on the part of the second party
always tends to strengthen the first party
and if the Republican Convention copies
the Democratic platform, a great many
voters will consider this a sufficient reason
for voting the Democratic ticket in prefer
ence.
Perhaps it will not make much differenc,
to the progress and prosperity of the State
whether the next administration ia Repub
lican or Democratic. But those who be
lieve that Republican supremacy signifie
something more than the election of thi
or that group of individuals, and who hav,
learned to think that it is in all way
best for the community that the doc
trines known as Republican should b,
applied by the men who have always helt
them, would be sorry to see Democratic
victory prepared by a political bluHder il
the Republican Convention. The Repub
lican party has many good men eligible fol
the Governorship and the other State
offices. Whichever of them may be chosen
by the Convention, provided he is placed
upon rational platform, will in all proba
bility be entirely trustworthy. But il
depends upon the platform whether any
Republican nominee can be elected. ant
the Conyentias canu Aford to make any
mistake Iead. The elements whlct
demand they call strong anti
monopoly platform, are very shortsighted
They think that this is necessary to sue
cess. In truth such course would be al
infallible means of securing defeat. Fol
it would narrow down the contest to
question of sincerity between the two par
ties, and upon such test the Demo
Gratis would inevitably be awarded sh'
preference, since they invented the issue
and it would be clear to every voter tina
the Republicans had only followed thei
lead.
The Democrats no doubt hope and ex
pect that the Republican Convention will
do this thing. They realize that if it il
done it will put the fight in their hands
There is in fact but one way to deal will
the matter. If the Democrats are righ
upon it, which would be conceded by i'm
itating them, then they are entitled t.
success at the polls, and the Republican,
must be prepared to stand back. II they
are not right, then it is the wise and manly
course for the Republicans to refuse t.
follow them, and to undertake the task Of
exposing their hypocrisy and demagog
ism. But on the theory that it is necessary
to make an anti-railroad platform, i,
must be conceded that the Democracy
cannot thereafter be charged with dema
gogism. Republicans who hold the Demo
cratic view on this subject may just al
we'll, and in fact to be consistent ought to
vote the Democratic ticket. Between
snti-railroad Democrats and auti-railroaG
Republicans, the former will have the
strongest claim to popular support. In
short, it is impossible to make an effectiv.
fight against an opponent whose platform
you have Endorsed at the outset of the cam
paigu.
This is for the Convention to determine
however. 1t is to be presumed that every
member of that Convention desires the
success of his party. All the work which
is now being done for the candidates will
have been thrown away if the party is
started in the race so handicapped that it
cannot make any running Il is
therefore essential that the platform should
be conservative, and that there should
be no possibility of mistaking it for weak
imitation of the Democratic manifesto. Il
may be further observed that the state Of
public opinion on question can never be
ascertained so long as both parties take
the same position and that this method
ia very apt to lead to false assumptions in
regard to the actual state of the public
mind. We hope that the present Conven.
| ton will have the foresight and sapacity