Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-04-08
WHY IT DOES NOT RISE

The inertia of the Democratic party has
puzzled many close observers. A party
which has been out of power for twenty
years ought by this time to have sloughed
off its. dead matter, to have outgrown its
Objectionable doctrines, to have starved
out its place-hunters. It ought by this
time to have worked well to the front that
element which infuses vitality in all par.
ties, namely, the unselfsh, serious think.
ers, who stake everything upon con.
victions, who have no personal ends to
serve, and whose ideas are elevated and
pure. Usually long period in opposition
brings this element to the front, and it
presents so strong contrast to that which
is found in the front ranks of the party
IN power that the contemplation of this
difference often leads to change of par
ties. But the Democracy has not succeed.
ed in presenting its best element in the
front for some reason, and we think the
reason may be ascertained. It is true that
the Democratic party has been long out of
power as regards the Administration, but
it has been successful in other respects.
1t has conquered and kept several of the
largest municipalities in the country, and
one of them has been the nursing mother
of the most sinister and corrupt political
organization in existence, namely Tam
many Hall. Through its municipal sue.
cesses, and through the hold it has gained
upon Congress, the place, hunting element
has been retained in command, and the
better element has been kept in the
background. In fact the starving process
has not been complete enough to choke off
the leeches, and so from year to year the
general character Of the national Democracy
has renamed the same, and that profigacy
of political ethics which has characterized
the platforms Of the party ever since the
war has been sustained and continued in
spite of every effort to condemn it. The
conspicuous absence Of honesty and sim
cerity which has made every Democratic
platform by-word and reproach during
the whole Of this period must be attributed
to the dominion in the councils of the party
of that element which sways Tammany
Hall, and which has had its political train
ing in the rankest of municipal corruption.
From such an element it would be idle to
expect even successful sinula.ion of vir.
tue, for even to initiate virtue it is neces.
sary to know what it is, and these Demo.
cratic politicians lacked that essential
knowledge. Therefore it was that they
tried to follow in the track of the Eepub.
licans that they put confidence in profes.
sions 30 fiimsy that they could deceive no.
body that they exposed their want of real
beliefs at every turn; that they were
willing to win by every kind of fraud and
falsehood and trick imaginable, from Ku-
Klux outrages to Morey letters. And
therefore it is that in all this time the
Democratic party has not purified itself I;
has not risen above the condition in which
the close of the rebellion found it has not
learned anything from its succession of de-
feats has not acquired either principles, or
virtues, or patriotism has in short con.
tinued to be the obnoxious and suspected
organization it was twenty years ago, and
has never succeeded in obtaining credit for
serious convictions of any kind, save such as
relate to the spoiIs and their distribution.