Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-07-22
THE PLATFORM QUESTION

The Democracy Of the State of Califor-
MIA, which is of different timber from
the Democracy that was represented at the
Chicago Convention in the current month,
made platform at the city of Stockton
At Chicago the National Democracy NOM
mated a candidate for the Presidency
whose political record is an open and fla
grant reputation of the Stockton plat
form. OF this there is no one so bold as
even to suggest a doubt tits confessed.
Now this placed the Democracy of the
State of California in the exceedingly awk-
ward dilemma of protesting certain polit
ical principles which their candidate for
President has in his life, and his action,
distinctly and boldly repudiated. When
they go before the people and plead the
Stockton platform, they plead a conviction
of political faith to which their candidate
is VIGOROUSLY infdel The existence of a
platform and the nomination of a candi-
date serve to give emphasis to the variance
of political significance between them.
Now it is equally apparent that if the
Republican party in California formulate a
communiStic platform, it will produce the
same incongruity between its platform and
its candidate Mr. Blaine has nothing in
his record or his charactcr-there is, in
short, nothing in all his career, to warrant
the assumption that he will give comfort
or countenance to any of the destructive
and radical isms" that have so agitated
the Democracy in this State, or that he will
be bound by any similar declarations on
the part of Convention Of his party in
this State. There is not a color of com
munism in any part of his record.
The adoption of a communistic platform
in the coming Convention, as has been de
manded by some extremists whose con-
ceptions of statesmanlikc policy and the
rights OF citizens do not rise to the level of
those entertained by Mr. Blaine, will pro-
duce, we repeat, The same rcpulsive de-
formity between political professions and
the head of the ticket as is now confessed
on all sides to exist in the Democratic stu
alton. Mr. Blaine should be given no
extra loads to carry in this State He is a
political giant, but not equal to the burdens
that some Shortsishted people would put
upon the shoulders Of the gallant standard
bearer. Nor, we repeat, is there anything
else than danger in attempting the expert
ment In his admirable letter Mr. Blaine
has made his own platform, and in it there
is no word or syllable to indicate that he has
any sympathy with the destructive senti-
ments which have made the Stockton Con
Vention laughing stock and a by-word
and secured for the California Democracy
contemptuous and deserved reputation at
the hands of National Convention
The time has passed when the people
can be deceived by the system of out-bid-
ding in demagogic platform declarations
and no man more clearly than Mr.. Blaine
sees this. Nor would he be party to any
such miserable scheme. He has determined
for himself the issues he desires to be tho
burning issues of the National campaign
Upon the National platform the voters o.
the State of California can all stand There
is in that platform, regarding the rights Of
men and of property, and the re-
Iations of men and the industries of the
country and the capital dependent upon
them and upon which they depend, moth,
ing which the Convention of the party in
this State is called upon to add to, or take
from, for the purposes of national cam
paign-nothing with which it can NEEDLE
without doing the candidacy of Mr.. Blaine
and the campaign of the party in this State
irreparable injury.
These truths are so apparent that we can
not conceive the Convention will hazard
the chances of victory by any such folly as a
few impracticable and selfish spirits are
disposed to force upon it, AS we said only
the other day:
"a political platform in a Presidential
campaign should be confined to the declara-
ton of central political principles. There