Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-09-23
A VERY LAME DEFENSE.

Mr.. Estee is reported as declaring, in a
speech at Hanford, that it was no more
reasonable to repeal Sunday law be.
" cause it is not fully enforced, than to
repeal laws against murder, theft and
seduction, because they are not strictly
enforced" We suppose this is intended
for an attack upon the Democratic posi-.
ton, but it certainly is not good defense
of the Republican position. In the first
place there is no real analogy between the
cases supposed by the speaker. The con-
dition of the Sunday laws in this State
does not resemble the condition of any
other laws. If the laws against murder,
theft and seduction were as completely
dsad-letters as are the Sunday laws, they
might just as well be repealed. In such
an event every sensible ana law-respecting
citizen would in fact demand their repeal
and the substitution for them of laws which
could be enforced. Now, this is precisely
what was demanded of the Republican
Convention. 1t was squarely asked to
pledge itself to the enactment of an effec-
tive Sunday law and it as squarely re.
fused to do so. Mr.. Estee will labor in
vain to rub this fact out. The Repubh-
can Convention deliberately refused to
commit itself and the party in favor of an
effective Sunday law. What it did do was
to pass a resolution fsvoring the main
tenance of the laws which everybody knows
to be useless and Ineffective. 1t was afraid
to favor anything better than these nullified
laws. Il was SO cautious that iteven asked
pardon of the liquor interest in advance
for its temeritY in venturing to flavor ="
the retention of those useless laws upon
the statute books. 1t would not 90 one
step beyond that. The present law "or
similar ones meaning similarly in
effective ones-was all it would commit
itself to. We assert that the Convention
consequently put itself on a level with
the Democratic party, and we maintain
that there is no room for choice between a
party which proposes the repeal of useless
laws, and party which declares in favor
OF maintaining those same useless laws.
Everybody knows that it will make no
difference whatever whether they are re.
pealed or not. Everybody can see that
both parties have declared for the main
tenance OF the existing situation, which lie
IN effect the absence of all Sunday legis.
lation. The Republican Convention had
an opportunity to make for the party a
real and an attractive issue on this head. All
the decent and order-loving elements of the
community were awaiting its action, pre-.
pared to 60 into the field and work with
energy and enthusiasm for the ticket
They asked for bread, and it gave them
stone. The demagogues who
controlled the Convention, with the
shallowness and stupidity of their
class, thought they would capture the
decent elements without losing the sup.
port of the elements which are on the Cd.
posite side. Their habitual duplicity, how.
ever, betrayed them on this occasion.
They underestimated the intelligence of
their intended dupes. Their blunderjpg
attempt to carry water on both shoulders
has disguised and alienated thousands of
thinking men. 1t has eliminated from the
campaign the only element of enthusiasm
they could have commanded. Mr.. Estee
knows by this time how great mistake
the Convention made, and it is in vain that
he seeks to repair the error by feeble
sophistries of the kind cited at the be-
ginning of this article. All the State fully
understands to-day that the Republican
party tried to dodge the Sunday law issue,
and that in doing SO it practically ranged
itself with the Democrats on the question.
That is the sober truth of the situation, and
it cannot be overcome or evaded by any
skill of fence on the stump. The Repubi-
can Sunday law plank is in no respect
preferable to that of the Democrats, and
every man can see this for himself.