Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-11-10

the transportation interest that this was
made the central factor of the canvass
and that an ambiguous or rather negative
Sunday law plank was adopted.
The RECORD. UNION was not prepared to
accept platform which it regarded as
cruelty unjust towards most important
and benefcent interest. To the State
ticket nominated by the Convention this
journal gave no support, consequently
Believing that the Republican policy was
altogether wrong, we did not fail to express
our convictions. We have no disposition
to set up claims of special influence. We
have no doubt that there will be plenty of
people TO do that for themselves. All that
we do claim is that we comprehended the
bent OF public opinion more accurately
than the Republican leaders did, and that
as result Of this clearer perception we
were right and they were wrong In the
first bitterness of disappointment some of
the friends of Mr.. Estee have intimated
that the RECORD. UNION is somehow re.
sponsible for the defeat of the Republican
party. This, however, is mistake. Had
the REcoRD-UNIoN supported the platform
it would only have shared in the defeat,
for it was the campaign programme which
caused that defeat, and not any journalistic
comments upon the programme. The truth
is that what is called journalistic influence
is very much misunderstood. When news.
papers, in an intelligent community, appear
on the surface to lead and direct public
thought, it is only because they have sue.
ceeded in catching and giving voice to
what the public are thinking. In SO plain
a matter as that of the Republican plat.
form there was no need for journalistic
guidance. Every man could see for him
self what the party policy was. All that
the RECORD UNION did vws to put into
literary form, and pub.Ish, that which
many people were thinking
The election has proved that we were
successful in interpreting the sentiment of
the majority. II we ares entitled to any
credit, it is simply for the possession of
some perspicacity 10 this connection. We
took pains to find out the direction of pub.
lie opigiHn, and w.ssucce E4dEhat is ali
tSN needs to be s upo1t this point. But
as regards the lessons of the campaign it is
very essential that the Republican poll.
ticians should recognize the truth. The
election shows that the fAnti Monopoly
issue was mistake That will have to be
conceded beyond dispute, for it is perfectly
evident that if the public had desired to
make war upon the railroads they would
have elected the candidates. who professed
the most unrelenting hostility to them.
Mr.. Estee stumped the State from one end
to the other, and everywhere he solicited
votes solely upon his anti.railroad I"
professions. He is an able speaker, and he
put his arguments in the most attractive
| form. II was impossible to mistake the
meaning Of his appeal. The people as.
suredly did not mistake it. By electine
his opponent they declared that they did
not want an anti-railroad administra.
ton. 1t was impossible to make this issue
any palmer and stronger than the Republican
Convention made it. They staked the
campaign upon it, and they have lost the
campaign. The significance of the outcome
must be recognized by everyone.
| Tho Pa,phI,o,n, fo,,D,Il,,
that they did not want the support of any
persons or journals who were disposed to
deal fairly by the railroads. They did not
have the support of those persons and
| journals, and they are defeated. They
thought they could satisfy the temperance
element by meaningless plank on the
Sunday law. The result was that the
temperance vote was divided betyeen
Stonemau and Mcdonald. OF course it is
not possible to say confidently that this
crushing defeat would have been avoided
had the party taken the advice of the
RECORD. UNION but in the light of accom-.
| plished facts it seems inst assumption
that in that case the result would have
been much more satisfactory. For, as we
have before observed, our suggestions were
founded upon careful observation and in.
quiry, and the result has sufficiently DEM
! onstrated that we were better informed as
to the bent OF public opinion than the
Republican politicians were. The latter
were too superficial in their reasoning.
They INDUCED in too many gratuitous
assumptions. They began with the as.
| sumption that the ant-ralroad sentiment
was the key to the situation. In this they
were entirely self.deceived. So far was
this from being the case that the people of
California deliberately rejected the most
pronounced and highly-seasoped anti-rail.
road platform, and Endorsed the most con.
serva.iye one. Having made this initial
blunder the Republican Convention could
not get back to firm ground, but went fur.
Their and further from the path of sound
policy, with the results we now see.
We have no inclination to aggravate the
disappointment and soreness of those who
are defeated, but We must in justice to
ourselves p'int out that very large pro.
portion of the Republican party has been
with the r scoRD UNION in this campaign.
Those who differed from us doubtless be.
lieved that they were right and we were
wrong. 1t is every mans privilege to do his
own thinking But when people do their
own Thinking, and thereby defeat their
OWL ends, they must not try to escape the
responsible ity, by putting it over on to
those who happened to see the truth more
clearly. This election proves that the
view of the campaign which the RECORD.
UNION took conceded with the view
taken by the majority of the people. We
are unfeignedly glad that this is so, be-
cause ouI confidence in the good judgment
and int ligence of the public has been
vindica.ed. And we hope that the Repub-
lican def st viii open the eyes of the poll.
ticians testhe facts we have pointed out, and
that it will at the same time convince
them Of the necessity of proposing only
just and Equitable measures when they are
dealing 9th reading and thinking people,
who can see through political " lodges !"
as PLAINLY as anyone, and who are not, al.
the event proves, to be caught by mere
rhetoric. II these lessons are well learned
they may bear useful fruit in the future.
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