Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-05-01
THE CHINESE BILL.

sage, because he does not there state what
kind of a bill he is prepared to sign. Had
his sole objection to the first bill been the
duration Of the suspension of Chinese i'm.
it would be fair to assume that
tbs new measure would meet his views.
As however he objected to several other
points, most of which have not been
changed in the ten-year bill, no satisfac-
tory inference can be drawn from his
previous expressions. In view of the un.
certainty of the outcome it is more than
ever apparent that the majority of the Re-
publican journals of California committed
grave error in taking the ground they
did upon the first veto message. We are
On the eve of an important State cam.
paign, and just at this critical moment q
large portion Of the Republican press prao.
tioally cuts loose from the National Re.
publican party, and thus puts itself in the
attitude of representing nothing outside of
the State. Should the President now veto
the ten-year bill some of our Republican
contemporaries will find themselves in 3
very embarrassing position. To maintain
consistency they would be almost driven
to give their support to the Democratic
ticket, In fact. Thay will not wish to do
this, of course, but they will be made to
realize that their own violent attacks upon
the Administration have discounted the
effectiveness OF their subsequent partisan
counsels, and probably done much to bring
about results which they are most inter-
ested in preventing.
Republican journals have often been
twitted by the Democratic press for free
criticism of their own party whenever
there were no elections pending, and this
taunt must be admitted to be in some
degree deserved. But it is difficult to see
how Republican journals that have led
the general denunciation Of the President,
and have held up the Republican leaders
at the East to scorn and ridicule, can in a
few weeks, and without any such iustifi.
cation as change of policy at Washington
would furnish, turn about and advocate
what would be an Endorsement Of the men
they have just been abusing. It is, there.
fore, to be regretted that our contempo-
raries did not look before they leaped, and
it is especially to be regretted that they
should have permitted their opponents TO
sound the keynote of the campaign, and
themselves have taken positions which it
may be impossible for them to retain, and
equally impossible to abandon without
qualification. There are unfortunately
too many hot.headed and inoonsiderate
people in this State, who talk as though
it were either practicable or desirable to
separate the Pacific Coast from the rest of
the Union, and who advocate the most
revolutionary and violent measures, as if
such attempts could result in. anything but
mischief and failure. Instead of falling
into line with these ire.eaters and so help.
ing to take the question out of the do
main of practical politics, it seems to us
that the Republican press throughout the
State ought to remember that it has in
charge the maintenance OF the highest
expression of American civilization and
orderly government ; that it cannot ap-
prove lawless and revolutionary proposals
without being false to its duty; and that
If 1t honestly believes in the superior ft-
ness of Republican principles and doc.
trines, it must ustdiscountenance allmovements
which tend to the substitution of physical
| force for constitutional government.
And we are compelled to say that the
Argonam has been conspicuously reckless
and imprudent in this connection. Its
conductor is Republican, but it ia per-
7 fectly clear that for some time past he has
been giving aid and comfort to the Demo,
cratic party alone, and that he has been
directing all his energies toward the depre-
citation and discrediting of his own po-
litical associates and friends When the
campaign opens Mr.. Pixley will perhaps
wish to help the Republican ticket but
ne is every week making it more difficult
for himself to do this. he certainly will
not feel himself at home in the Democratic
ranks, for if we have read him to any pur-
pose, the doctrines of the Democratic party
- L. -, L., u = T..
Republican by natare and education, and
there is no other party with which he
can affiliate comfortably. Moreover, he
knows perfectly well that he cannot ad.
vance the anti Chinese cause, which he has
SO much at heart, by helping to make Cali.
fornia Democratic State. He knows that
it is only through the National Republican
party that the Chinese question can be
settled. And yet he is, in his fiery zeal
and his blind resentment, doing all in his
power to deprive his paper of effectiveness
during the coming campaign. Perhaps
Mr. Pixley may say that he is no politi.
clan, and does not oare for the success of
any party. But we suppose he does care
for the legislation against Chinese immigra-
ton, and We put it to him whether he
really believes that q Democratic victory
here next November will further that bus.
mess sppreciably
OF course if the President signs the ten.
year bill, it will be open to our fierce con.
temporaries to claim that they frightened
him into doing SO. But even in that case
we fear that their extreme bitterness dur.
ing the past few weeks will have i'll effects.
It is not possible for us to abolish party
lines in California merely because there is
but one opinion on the Chinese question
So long as there exist two great national
parties we must take sides with one or the
other. We cannot hope to effect anything
at Washington by any other methods. We
cannot take the State out OF the Union.
We cannot set up government OF our
own, and defy and violate the Constitution,
laws and treaties of the United States.
II we are to do anything useful we must
proceed by purely lawful and sober meth.
DDS. We must not talk of insurreotion or
rioting or violence in any form, and what
is more, We must not countenance such
talk, either openly or by keeping silence
about it. The press of San Francisco can
hardly have forgotten-the people of San
Francisco assuredly have not forgotten
the lasting injury done to that city by the
Kearney agitation. II that press and peo-