Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-11-06
THE LAST DAY.

Ae 40 VIC iass uay VI tne most Qlsgrace-
ful political campaign that has ever been
fought In California. Tonight the labors
OF the demagogues end. They have at
last reached the close of their opportunity,
and Tomorrow the verdict of the people
will be recorded. And it is to be observed
that this campaign does not close at all in
the ordinary way. There are to be seen
no serried hosts with disciplined ranks,
confronting one another, and waiting i'm.
patiently for the battle signal On the
contrary, all is confusion and discord and
absence of discipline and cohesion. The
would.be leaders are without followers.
The old banners no longer serve as rally.
lng-points. The cd war.cries evoke no
enthusiasm. The demagogues have shouted
and bawled themselves hoarse all over the
State, and the people have listened to them
cynically and incredulously. The terms
Democrat and Republican possess little
significance to-day. The machinery of the
two parties is there, but the discipline is
gone. 1t is a safe assertion that neither
party is satisfied with its ticket. If Estee
is revolted from by the Republicans,
Stoneman ELECTS no enthusiasm among the
Democrats. If Estee falls behind his
ticket tomorrow, if many Republicans
vote for his opponent, it will not be be-
cause the Democratic ticket is acceptable,
hnf ~ mill he L.
ticket is intolerable. Judging from the
development of popular sentiment of late
it seems quite possible that if the Prohibi.
tionists had been in the field earlier, and
had made more energetic and thorough
canvass, they might have carried the State.
As it is, they will poll much larger vote
than was at first anticipated, and they will
derive large proportion of it from those
who are dissatisfied with both the regular
party nominations
The politicians on both sides have as
usual done their best to persuade them.
selves that everything is going well. The
State Central Committees have made the
most wild figures, and each has given its
own side majority. But all such esti.
mates are entirely without value. Neither
candidates nor the immediate supporters
of candidates are ever Trustworthy Judges
as to how the popular vote will 90.
Speakers are above all liable to deceive
themselves, for nothing in a campaign is
more Elusive than the behavior of crowds
at meetings. In this case, however, the
speakers have been forced to admit that
there was no enthusiasm anywhere. The
Republican candidates have made a par.
ticularly thorough canvass, and they have
returned from it with realization that the
State Is lost to them. Of course they still
continue in public to predict success, but
they do not expect it any more than they
expect to be struck by lightning. They
have played demagogism for all it was
worth, and they are about to find out that
1t Is not worth anything. Mr.. Estee, IN
his last San Francisco speech, distinctly
declared that he had staked everything
upon anti.railroad cant and humbug. He
will have therefore to acknowledge, if he
| ID defeated, that he owes his defeat to the
very course which he thought best adapted
to secure him victory.
In San Francisco confusioll worse con.
founded exists in the Republic ranks.
The so.called Buffers" who seeded
from the County Convention, are all under.
stood to be fighting the ticket The rank
and file have no ,S5ufdence in any of the
factions. The factions are ell tearing at
one anosaer's Threats. The Prohibitionists
are taking advantage of the discord to in.
crease their strength. And thus all the
opposing forces are being swept in strug.
cling mass towards the polls and nobody
has the least idea what the result will be.
beyond the one obvious fact that the Re.
publcans can by no possibility carry the
city. In the interior of the State there is
perhaps less confusion, but there is not
more discipline or enthusiasm. The plain
truth is that the people generally feel them
selves to have been betrayed by the regular
state nominating Conventions, and that
though they must vote for somebody, they
do not take much interest in the contest.
1t Is quite possible that lighter vote than
usual may be polled tomorrow. 1t is an
embarrassing position for the public. for
they have only choice of evils, unless
they can make up their minds to vote for
Mcdonald. Many are heard to saw that
the Prohibition ticket is the onlv honest
one in the field, and there is no doubt
much truth in this. Those, however land
their name is LEGION, who desire to ad-
minister severe rebuke to the unparalleled
demagogism of the Republican leaders, feel
that 1t is necessary to vote in such a way
as to make the defeat of Estee not only
secure, but emphatic.
We shall not this year follow the ortho.
dox custom of advising our readers how to
vote. Whoever has read the RECORD.
UNION during the campaign must long ere
this have made up his mind what he will
do tomorrow. Whoever believes, with us,
that the Republican platform is the most
shameless and dishonest piece of naked dem.
agogism ever foisted upon the public, and
that its success would be calamity, will
know how best to insure its reputation,
The Indications are however, that for the
most part voters viii exercise their indie.
pendence in choosing their tick cts, and that
a great number will vote combinations
That is perfectly natural under the cir.
cumstances. When party lines are broken
down completely the old sources of IN.
fiuence cease to be Attended to, and men
strike out for themselves. Upon the gen.
eral proposition of opposition to the policy
underlying the campaign now closing,
there appears to BE- widespread agree.
ment. All thinking men feel that the one
thing specially needful is to put the seal
OF condemnation upon the methods which
nave been employed to bolster up i'm.
posters. And therefore, behind all the
seeming confusion, there is visible a Ger.
tain definite purpose which promises to
give significance to the vote tomorrow.
a1d to make it an epochal event in the
political history of the State.