Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-09-13


publicans and recreant Democrats who
ignored the pledges made in their party
platforms. BY the efforts Of the Tam
many organization, through one Of its
Senators, an act was passed and signed
by the Governor to submit the question
OF the abolition Of the contract sys stem in
State Prisons to the voters Of the states
and the people carried the measure by o
majority of l3S,000 votes notwith-
standing hundreds of thousands Of bal
lots against the proposition were secretly
distributed by party managers, members
Of the Democratic State Central Com
mittee, in order to defeat this Democratic
m easure.
A bill limiting the hours Of labor OF
car drivers aud conductors passed the
Legislature and it was met with the Ex-
ecutive veto and killed. there
by continuing the hardships Of
the honest, over-worked men
The laborers and mechanics OF the State
sought to protect themselves from loss
at the hands Of dishonest contractors
and EMPLOYERS and caused to be passed
an act By the Legislature giving lien
of the mechanic and laborer priority
over all others. This also suffered the
same fate. We might add and enumer-
ate other instances but We have shown
sufficient to have warranted stronger op-
position on our part to the nominee Of
the Democratic party than we made at
Chicago. Being an integral portion Of
the great Democratic party we have al
ways in our capacity as delegates assist
ed 10 advocate men whom we know to
be trusted by people opposed to the
nomination OF those who were not, and
it was in the exercise Of this right and
in conscientious discharge OF duty that
we took occasion at Chicago to advise
against the nomination which was made
by the National Convention. Our op-
position was without personal feeling
aud arose from our intimate knowledge
of the sentiments of the toiling masses of
ourState ON the choice Of Gov. Cleveland.
In regard to these labor bills charita-
bic view to take Of his case is that he
was ignorant and unenlightened con-
cerning the nature and working of these
laws. which would have o 'casioned so
much real benefit to the workingmen
and could have resulted in no loss to en-
ployers. We do not impugn the Gov
ernor's motives or views which he has
expressed on these subjects, they doubt
less we're conscientiousiy considered in
the discharge Of his official obligations
and duties, we simply impressed our
knowledge OF the autagonism against
him in the minds Of workingmen who
compose the bulk Of the Democratic vot-
ers OF the State Of New York. That the
expression of our ideas as to the policy
Of nominating ns o candidate for the
Presidency a man against whom 80 much
exists among men who in other respects
are open to conviction, 10 equally true.
Whence comes into unreasoning parti-
san opposition we do not seek 70 offer
anys argument or state any disput-
ed points which might perchance
have weight with the thoughtful candid
mind. Indeed it would be useless labor,
bat we deem tie present most sppro-
pirate occasion to rench the latter and
to disabuse their mind Of any lingering
doubts that may exist as to their in
tegrity Of this organization. It is not
unfair to claim in approaching this sub
ject that tho odium properly chargcable
to the Tammany Hall organization Il a.
it was in ring times. When Samuel J.
Tilden, Oswald Ottendorffer, John
Winthrop Chandler, Augustus Schell,
John Kelly. its present leader and others
succeeded in driving the corrupt leaders
out Of the organizations, they found
state OF affairs which, indeed, required
herculean strength and executive ability
to put in order. These self sacrificing
workers for the Democratic party sue
ceeded in the work Of restoration.
Order was restored and system of fair
primaries was introduced in every
Assembly District. A now general COM
mittee was elected and again Tammany
became respectable, law-abiding
Democratic organization, self-respect
ing and respecting the rights Of
others. Its strength - Democratic
organization was increased to 10000
votes which number were cast for that
honest old Democrat, Augustus Schell,
now dead, a. candidate for Mayor,
when he was defeated by Edward Coop
er, under combination Of Democrats
opposed to Tammany Hall. with
the Republican party, Of this city on
. division Of office which polled
10000 votes against him. But we
have had to combat not only
false impressions created as to the char
acter Of the members Of our organiza-
tion which have been manufactured, not
only to blacken our reputation and
lessen our influence, but charges also
have been made against our political in
tegrity and the honesty OF our support
given to the candidates Of the Demo-
cratic party. 1t has been charged that
we conspired to defeat Tilden and Hen
bricks, in 1875. and Hancock and Eag-
Iish in 1880, and tho press Of the coun.
try has SO generally circulated this afro
cious slander that by continued repsti-
ton, even impartial men have come to
believe It. The following statement Of
facts should suiiics to bury this calumny
forever; In 1915 Tilden's total vote in
New York State was 52l, ,949; Hayes
4S9. 207. Tilden's majority, 32,74l.
Tammany with its magnificent disci-
pline and honest management brought
this enormous vote to the Democratic
ticket, and made SUCCESS certain. The
victory which the Republiesp wanagers
snatched from the jaws Of defeat must be
sought for elsewhere. Perchance IL may
be discovered in halting time serving
Senators and Congressional Representa-
tives who consented to manufacture q
device unknown to the Constitution,
which defeated the expressed wish Of
majority Of the people Of the United
States. Against this fraud the Tamms-
ny organization protested and it has
never ceased to condemn the ingenious
but constitutional Electoral Commission
cunningly Devised to avert the impend-
ing destruction Of the Republican party
which 1t succeeded In accomplishing in
1877 by vote Of 5 10 4. No fair-minded
man who will examine these figures oan
doubt the entirely loyal support Of Tam
many Hall to Gen. Hancock with these
ISLANDERS resting upon us and believed, in
great part, even by those who are in
cIined to admit our influence and power
as a political body. Our opponents
were alert and prepared for us at Chica-
90, on atmosphere Of doubt and spspi-
c,an through which all our acts were to
he NIGW00s w ntlt " y W~tt t~f~-@e 20
tho anniversary Of our national inde-
pendence our opponents took every oc-
casion TO prsjudicc the minds Of dele
gates at Chicago against ps. We pre-
sented our arguments to tho individual
and assembled delegates Of the National
Convention and were debarred from
the right to speak except by the
consent OF delegates from other States
and were prohibited under Democratic
unit rule from casting our ballots for the
candidate of our choice. We failed not
In our duties TO our constituents who
sent us, nor to tho party whose repre-
sentatives we were, and II any mistake
has been made it Is not Of our doing and
cannot be charged to US. The candi-
dates Of the Democratic party having
been nominated in the National Conven-
tion, following the uniform and unbroken
record Of our organization, we acquiesce
in the will of majority Of the repre-
sentatives of the party, although we be-
lieve that will to have been unwisely ex-
pressed. There in but one alternative