Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-05-07
Ell DORADO DEMOCRATIC CON.
.YENTION.
A Correspondent Relates the Ways That
Were Dark and Tricks That Won.

principle OF decency and right. As usual
the respectable, conservative element oftht
party had been rather careless about watch
ing the primaries Placerville is the only
| place where any considerable effort wa:
made. Two tickets were in the field, ant
| some fifteen or sixteen of the prominent
cinchers were told that they were no
wanted in that Convention. Most of them
are men who have howled on both sides Of
every issue that has been before the people
and who have never done anything bu
harm to any and every party that they
have been connected with. Among the re
jected ones were the present Chairman anC
Secretary of.the County Central Committee
and the editors of the only Democratic
paper in the county, the Mountain Demo
| crdt.
This gives some idea of the political in.
t1uence OF that paper. Yet these men, who
| had been repudiated by the Democratic
voters of Placerville, came into the Con
vention with their pockets bristling with
proxies that they had obtained by various
means in outside, obscure precincts. These
men, who had been told that they were not
wanted there, impudently forced their oh,
noXious presence upon the Convention, an6
made themselves the most prominent il
the debates and the urging of resolutions
that, without doing any possible good
could only injure the party by causing dis
Sension and strife.
The honest Democrats of Eel Dorado
county are at present partly at the mercy
of these men. The leaders of these cincherS
and proxy grabbers have control of the
County Central Committee They appoint
ed this Convention to be held four weeks
earlier than it is usual or necessary to hold
4 4
one knows, in order that the Democratic
voters throughout the county might not
have time and an opportunity III many
cases to regularly select their delegates
This gave the proXy-grabbers chance to
carry on their dirty work. There was nc
representation from eleven precincts. The
Chairman, whom the cinchers managed 10
elect by majority of 10, was also in the
| Convention ON a proxy, not having been
elected from his own little precinct Dia-
mond Springs.
The business of the Convention went
along smoothly enough till the considera-
ton of resolution relative to the action OF
the Governor in calling an extra session
was taken up. After an amendment had
been moved and seconded, the Chairman.
in shameless disregard of all usage and de-
| spite the earnest protestations of many, put
the original motion. 1t was a. viva voce
vote, and the demOniacal yell that went up
! from the side of the cinchers and some of
! their SympathiZers in the back seats was
enough to raise the dead. The other side
| of the house had hardly chance to utter
| their noes when the Chairman velped
out that the ayes had it. Cries for di-
| vision went up from all parts of the house.
The conservatives were confident that, al
Tough they had not made as much noise,
! they were in the majority on this woe. as
many who had voted the other way on the
organization had expressed themselves as
not being in favor of jcOpardiZing the sue
| cess of the party in the coming great ma
tional campaign by passing resolutions of
a local and personal character in a
Convention that had only to deal with ma
tional issues. As soon as he could get on
his feet a.dclegate called for a division The
Chairman responded that he had given his
decision. and that he would not take up
the consideration of the vote again. Three
several and distinct times he was asked to
allow division and as many times refused.
To the establishment and disgust of all but
the INSCRIPTIONS demogOgues who were
with hun, he disregarded all circumstances
against so outrageous and unjust proceed
ing. and compelled the Secretary to read
the next thing on the order of business
! He would not have resorted to so violent
and cowardly course if he had not been
/ confident that fair vote would be fatal TO
/ his side. Knowing that if the votes were
/ counted his decision would be reversed he
was determined that no consideration OF
| the vote should come before the Conven-
! ton again, and called loudly for the next
| thing on the order of business.
So low, dirty and contemplate q ruse
might have been successful in ward poll
| tics thirty years ago, but the decent element
in the Convention, aStounded at so shame
/ less and sneaking a course, and not wishing
| to parley further and thus recognize so out
rageous proceeding as a Convention of
/ their party, quietly retired from the room,
! leaving the seats on one side of the house
almost empty. The Secretary left his desk
and unfinished minutes Many Democrats
who had grown gray in the service and
many young men who had gone into the
Convention hoping that there would be III
/ its proceedings a harmony that would fore
cast certain triumph for their party this
! fall, were compelled to leave the Conven-
! ton full of disappointment and disgust
! They recognized the fact that after the
action of the Chairman in disregarding
| the demands for a division, that Conven-
| ton was turned into little short of disor-
! DERBY mob, not deserving the respect of any
! honest, intelligent and impartial voter
! They only wished to have their votes
counted, as was their privilege. They only
/ wished to be sure that the rabble in the
/ rear of the opposition were not voting
! against them. Being refused this. their
/ only course was to withdraw. leaving the
! bulliragigng crowd to carry out their own
/ sweet will. This they did to their satisfac-
| ton. I'm fact, 50 pleased were they with
/ themselves and their work, that many of
/ them seriously proposed that they should
/ hold over for the next County Convention
/ During the week some Of them had made
/ boasts as TO what they were going to do,
and what resolutions they were going to
/ pass in condemnation of the Railroad Com
| mlSsiOncrS and Judge Irwin's course in the
! Assembly. But, although after the with
! drawal they had hardly a dissenting vote.
/ they did not dare TO pass or even offer any
! such resolutions. They knew that TO do so
would be to fly in the face of the great, re-
/ spectacle, thinking majority of both parties
/ IN this county. The only resolution passed
by the Convention, and that was accom-
( p'ished in the manner mentioned above
/ WIS resolution indorsing the action of the
! Governor in calling an extra session for
the consideration of the railroad tux mat
| t,r. The resolution does not say anything
concerning the fact that the Governor had
included the acts of two of the Railroad
! Commissioners among the reasons for his
| cali, and by this ominous silence of the
resolution the Governor is virtually not in
/ dorsed in this part of his action. The reso-
! luton had also nothing to say concerning
Judge Twins course in the Assembly
Thus. despite the ill-gotten proxies, the
resolutions, the snap judgments and other
/ dirty work of the cinchers, to all intents
and purposes the decent element in that
/ Convention won a victory. The loud
/ mouthed demagogues, though they had
the power did not dare TO cepsure two of
/ FL Dorado countv's ablest and most jealous
| servants. They did not dare to censure the
men who, after years of service in many
! capacities, have proved themselves to be
able, honest and efficient, and men of
whom every decent voter in the county is
| justly proud CONSERVATIVE.
| Phcervifie, May 5, 1881.
alx.,~