Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-03-15

solute right of Judge Wallace TO run for
the Assembly, but it is timely to cry halt
to assaults upon brains, and the demand
| for political disfranchisement Of intelli-
gence and legal ability. The Chronicle has
the audacity to suggest that as such men as
Wallace will be very likely to lead and
command respect for their opinions, for
that very reason they should not have
seats in the law.making body. The pith
of this argument is but skin.deep. and sug.
gests that the Democratic extra-session
crew are egged on and supported by the
Chronicle, which apes airs it is unable to
maintain. Men of the mental measure OF
Judge Wallace cannot be controlled by it.
They are very apt to do their own think.
| ing and voting. 1t is not, therefore, after
all, surprise that the Chronicle and its
coadjutors should prefer knaves in legis.
lative positions, or at least idiots, nor that
they should seriously maintain that men
only are above suspicion of impurity Of
motive who have not sufficient intelligence
to rise superior to the domination of party
ring masters and journalistic whippers.in.
So far as the railroad companies are con-
cerned, it might be very convenient for
them to adopt the Chronicles view, for
knaves and fools may be as readily in
duced to stay the hand of spoliation as to
ply it, since they are open only to venal
arguments. 1t has been charged over and
over again that these have been used, and
it is the misfortune of those who have to
defend themselves from legislative assaults
that the composition of legislative major
tiles, to which San Francisco so largely
contributes, has given color to the accusa-
tion.
But the truth is, that the assaulted inter.
ests have uniformly been anxious to be
tried by honesty and brains, but have
quite as uniformly been confronted
with prejudice and igorance. Over
and again they have protested that
Justice of their claims to the scrutiny of
business sense, common honesty and intel
lectual ability. Not even the hardened
Chronicle will have effrontery to deny that
it would be better for the commonwealth
to establish legislative standard that
would place men of the highest ability in
the seats of lawmakers. If this people de-
sire the conservation of their best inter-
ests they must put to the fore in the law
making branch of the Government intelli-
gence, ability and honesty, and drive out
knavery, incompetency, prejudice and po-
litical depravity and greed.
We are opposed to Judge Wallace's
political fait he is running for a
seat, as is his right, in a Legisla.
ture which should not assemble, and
which, it is greatly to be feared, will
be controlled by envy and all manner of
hatred, and manipulated by unconscionable
political schemers he has appeared before
a political committee and announced his
intention of taking the stump and express.
ing his views fully on the issues before the
people he is a warm Democratic partisan,
and his party has pronounced an uDjusti-
fable war upon railway interests. But,
nevertheless, respect for legislative ca.
pacity, common regard for ability and the
ordinary claims of decency demand that
every selfrepecting journal and man should
protest against assaults upon candidates on
the sole ground that they are qualified by
culture, natural ability, long experience
and high character for positions they aspire
TO fill