Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-07-10

TO the Presidency as the successor Of old
John Adams, there has scarcely been a
national contest in which the Democracy
could not have elected their candidate
for President II they had been united.
Without any jar or wrangle they elected
Jefferson. Madison and Monroe to the
Presidency for two terms each, making
clean sweep Of twenty.four years.
They would have elected their President
10 1924 II they had not been foolish
enough to present several candidates at
once. The panic of 1887 was RESPONSE
BILE for the defeat Of Van Buren, when
that gentleman ran for a second term.
Again the natural Democratic ascend.
ancy was resumed under Polk, with the
result Of the addition OF the territory en-
bracing California and Texas 10 the
Union. Then came the old fractional
spirit, and Gen. Cass was defeated by a
second Democratic candidacy in the per-
son Of Martin Van Buren,, which lost
Now York to the Democracy and thus
exactly, to an electoral vote, defeated its
nominee. Pierce and Buchanan bridged
over the chasm till 1860 was reached.
when the Democratic party must needs
again make fool of itself by presenting
two candidates in the persons Of Douglas
and Breckenridge. The unfair assump-
ton that the Democratic party was re-
sponsible for the war reelected Lincoln
second time, and the glamour Of sue.
cessful soldiersbip elected Grant for his
first term. With those three exceptions,
we assert without fear of contradiction
that the Democratic party need not have
been an hour out OF the possession OF
tho government of the United States,
sine, the opening Of the nineteenth CEN
tury, il IL had been true to its traditions
and had been united. The nomination
OF Horace Greeley was n political crime
that ought to have been followed by the
disbandment Of the party, while the toll
Grafton of John Kelly was one Of scarcely
less magnitude. Grant, like Wellington,
occasionally acquits himself Of keen re-
mark, and when he said that the Demo-
cratic party always kicked the bucket
over by the time tho pail had been
MIXED nearly full he gave utterance to
a sententious truth.
There are, here and there, signs on
hepolitioal horizon just now which look
ominous OF disaster unless great care is
used. This is the case, particularly, in
this State. There are really no differ
ences of opinion amongst Democrats in
the assertion Of the States right to con-
troll corporations, within its limits.
which have been created by the COM
monwealth Of California, or as to the
right and duty of the national govern
ment to regulate similar creations of its
own. To this latter right is supple
mented the constitutional prerogative,
inheren, in Congress. of regulating inter-
State commerce. While Democrats are
agreed as to these points they are not,
however, in accord with programme
which denounces duly elected Demo-
cratic officials as traitors before they
really have shown themselves to be
such. Such Incorporate denuneiations
are accompanied in the newspapers
which are pressing the crusade, with
intimations that Democrats who do not
agree with this Incorporate and prema'
ture programme, are wearers OF the rail-
way collar. and so on, nd nauseam.
One OF these sheets even has the inso-
lence to apply this term to Senator b.
D. Murphy, Of San Jose, as good Dem
ocrat as ever lived, and far safer leader
of the party in this State than any OF
those who asperse him.
To our great regret we see that the
meeting of San Francisco Democrats
held in Platt's Hall, last Saturday eve
ming, recommended the calling OF an
extra session of the Legislature to re-
move the Messrs. Carpenter and Hum
phreys, gentlemen who, in the judg-
ment Of many Democrats, have as
yet done nothing through color of
wiicA -pen sworn to do their duty
could venture upon such removal.
Should there be such lamentable wash
ing of Democratic dirty linen in public
as such session would bring about, we
should despair of the result next year.
Quite q number of Democratic Senators
and Representatives under the solemnity
OF an oath, would decline to endorse any
snch mad proceeding. Awar of recrim-
ination would at once spring up that, in
our opinion, would give the Republi-
can party an easy victory next Fall.
Bitterness is quite apt to begct bitter
ness, and epithets can be banded with
as much eaS by one side as the other.
That such state of affairs would be
disastrous, in the light Of the past, let
no reasonable man doubt.
This spirit of faction, we regret to say,
is by no means confined to California.
The other day card appeared in the
Cincinnati Enquirer, signed by son of
the illustrious Allan G.. Thurman,
stating that he proposed to vote for
Judge Foraker, the Republican candi-
date for Governor, instead Of for Judge
Hoadley, the Democratic candidate. 1t
appears that eleven years Of Democracy,
uniform from 1872, added to the out
right Democracy of his early years, are
not sufficient, in the eyes of young
Thurman, to make Judge Hoadley
eligible for Democratic votes. When
we recall the fact that John Kelly is at
dagger's points with Governor Cleveland,
we decline to re-affirm the rosy views of
the political future which even we held
three months ago. Our enemies cannot
compass our defeat, but we ourselves
can do it as easily as shutting up a
knife.
OF one thing California Democrats
may rest assured, and that is that, in
this State next Fall, every enginey
under heaven will be employed to dress
the Republicans up in line, including a
liberal use of "soap." II, on the oth.r