Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1883-03-17
The Real Issues.


The keen and dispassionate observer
Of our national politics is greatly amused
by the by.play Of the diiettante people,
like George William Curtis, who have
undertaken to elevate the trade in the
United States. George William Curtis
is pretender, just as the Republican
party is pretender, with its "God and
Morality" professions, the only differ.
ence being that the phylacteries OF
George William and his crowd Of "man
milliners," to employ Conkling's happy
phrase, are little larger, little more
offensive and little more hypocritical
than those OF the original Cheap John
whose business was done for years under
the firm name, style and title of Seward,
Wade & Chase. For years Curtis, who
has always been crank, with knack
of fine writing, has been clamoring
for what he calls "Civil" and sensible
people call "Snivel Service Reform
During the last Congress, in moment
OF madness, Senator George II. Pendlc.
ton, of Ohio, so.called Democrat, was
induced to introduce Civil Service Re.
form bill which renders everybody in
tho United States ineligible to any gov
eminent position at Washington except
asl, 200 clerkship-whieh he can only
get as result Of a competitive examine
ton In the diiferential calculus or some
other fancy scientific proposition-and
which secures life tenure Of Office
to the myriad of Republican bureau
Gratis who draw large salaries from
the national treasury. Still George
William is dissatisfied, and he waileth
as the Whangdoodle is supposed to do
over his first born, Notwithstanding the
fact that his beloved Swivel and bureau
cratic device has gone through the last
Congress. He says that the debates on
the tariff show that Democrats and
Republicans differ on that issue. accord.
ing TO LOCALITY ana without regard 10
party; and that, therefore, there are no
substantial oinerehces IN our ha''ohai
poh''cS eAeeP' sueh US '.'e i"fo.'eu III 'ne
fact that certain number Of Democrats
IN tne oou'h' anu 'heh VINO hau oeeh
Wings till the Wing party disappeared,
went into 'he hepeiiioh'
Notwithstanding TINS gentleman pos
session Oh literary styie "hich, IN 'ie
language oil Professor Niair' would nave
peen characterized as poiished' neat
ana elegant, we Deg 10 agree WIN MN
on the proposition that man views on
inc tariif are largely reieraple 10 the
eo'nPieAioh anu Tue iooaii'S Vi Tue con
st'uehcy from which he haiis' "heh ne
turns up IN congress out we Deg TO
aiiier Win nm Us 10 VIVA, are the real
aistihc'iSo issues Oh American poilucs
Asa matter o. individual opinion the
eaitor oil the HERALD believes IN the
old, wholesome Democratic doctrine oil a
'ariii iof revenue merely but 'he tarih'
miqutoas as nave been It's exactiohs, Is
mere MINOR incident IN the tremendous
problems which OF late years have been
presented for the consideration OF the
voter
The real vital issues OF American pol
itics since the war--certainly since Lin
coin was assassinated by booth-have
turned upon the degree In which the
Republican party should be permitted
to carry out its darling project OF cen
tralization, with the inevitable result OF
shoddy empire plainly in the near per-
spective. Although the Democratic
party has not commanded any share OF
the national Offices and their consequent
emoluments during the last twenty
years-and, indeed, outside OF the ques-
tionable components OF the party in
some of the principal cities of the Uni.
ted States it has not cared for office for
the mere sake of Observation-Disclosures its
influence has been most potential in
shaping our politics. But for the splen-
did, disinterested and invineible attitude
OF the Democratic party of the North,
with its prodigious latent strength,
founded upon right, we should have
seen the initial steps, which would have
led to empire, inaugurated in contin-
uance of the policy which made
satrapies Of the States of the
South. This whole malignant South.
em policy of the Republican
party towards that devoted section was
intended as an entering wedge, subver.
sive OF our Republican institutions
Every leader of the anti-Demo
cratic forces, from John Adams down
really hated in his heart, allowing for
exceptions of five or six prominent Re
publicans, who, like Lincoln, are dead
for the most part, anything like govern
ment by the people and for the people
In taking the heel of oppression iron
the neck of the people of the South tn
Democratic party did its greatest ant
noblest work. Not even when, unde
Jefferson, it waged n splendid contes
against the monarchical tendencies o
the older Adams or when, under Mon