Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-04-13
TO THE PRESIDENT.
Senator Cross in an Open. letter Gives a
Bit of nfstory.


Bit of nistory.
from ths 5. +. Call, April l2th.l
Barclay Henl.ey's letter to President
Cleveland has called from Senator Cross, OF
Nevada county. an open letter to his Ex
ceDsncy. in which the Senator gives an
! outline history of Democratic politics III
| California during the past three years, and
of the disruption of the Democratic party
! here, Mr.. Cross commences by saying that
as Mr. Henley's private letter to the Presi-
dent was generally published by the news
PAPERS on this coast before it was delivered
| to the President, the inference is that it was
written more for the public than for the
President. He says that the disruption of
the party here is the well-delined effects
! following olear-cut causes In California
are two classes of Democrats. One class
believes in maintaining the Democratic
party upon well-defned and understood
J political principles, underlying free govern
| ment, and such as have been the faith OF
| the party from Jefferson and Jackson until
now. This class believes government IS
organized to protect persons and property
= The other class thinks it is the
duty of the Democratic party, as such, to
make new issue and bitter partisan war
| fare against railroads and railroad prop
erty, which, without distinction as to
|
signated as monopoly.
Mr.. Henley divides his opponents into
| five divisions. There are those who think
| land Mr.. Cross says he is not one Of them
| that Mr. Henley's class contains but two
divisions: First political knayes second,
cranks.
In 1882 the California Democratic State
Convention at San Jose adopted a platform
and nominated State ticket which was
elected by the largest majorities ever known
| i'll the history of this State. William Eng
! lish & Co. were intensely dissatisfied with
the course OF the Convention, and Gov
ernor Stoneman's refusal to appoint Mr.
! English State Harbor Commissioner did
not plant any seeds of friendship for the
Chief Executive in the bosom of the latter
gentleman where none grew before.
Among the State officers elected were
| three Railroad Commissioners an Attorney
General, etc. The Legislature that year was
| fOur-tifths Democratic.
WAR UPON THE RAILROADS.
Under the new Constitution and the
statutes passed to give it force railroad
properties were assessed in manner diff
! ierent from all other property in the State.
| The principal railroad companies of the
State claimed that the methods were I'M
lawful and the assessments invalid They
ItliilN'i tiiINS itlCSbiOiiS IiliO TIC toNlllS,
and early in 1881 Justice Field, of the
United States Supreme Court, presiding in
the Circuit Court at San Francisco, decided
| that the methods Of taxing railroads were
unequal and unconstitutional. Some, who
were incapable of understanding that Jus
! tice Field did not make the law. but only
! had power 10 determine its constitution
ality, criticised him very sharply for not
making the railroads pay their taxes the
same as other folks. Certain lawyers, who
saw their prospects for heavy commissions
recede before this decision, raised cry
which they called public sentiment, and
denounced Justice Field, and called every
one who dared 10 intimate that
he might be right traitor" and
tool For such there was nothing but
| elimination and abuse. Calm discussion
was out Of the question. Governor Stone
man, yielding to the storm, called an
extra session Of the Legislature to deal
with railroad matters only. The new Rail
road Commissioners had made in a single
wear more reductions in railroad freghts
and fares than had been made before by
all the authorities Of the State in its entire
| history. The income of Il single company
in the State was reduced more than mill
| ion of dollars, bat the antagonists of the
railroads wanted more, and endeavored to
| drive tie Commissioners out of office with
out q hearing, which those whom Mr.
Henley denOniuates the Field faction
thought they were entitled to and which
! they insisted upon.
Laws were proposed taxing the property
| of the railroad company prop0rtionately
two or three times rs high as other prop
| erty, denying them the right to contest the
! validity of such assessments, except under
| the most oppressive conditions, and deny
| ing the right Of appeal. This was but a
sample of the monstrous legislation that
was only prevented by q conservative sen
! timeut and good deal OF manly irmncss.
THE STOCKTON CONVENTION.
While the excitement was at its highest,
and a species of terrorism on the subject
existed, the Stockton Convention was held
1t denounced Justice Field and all the con-
I scrvaJive members of the State Government
who had declined to support those infam-
Gus measures. The Convention nominated
delegates to the National Democratic Con
vention and Presidential electors; but re-
CURED all who were present and desired to
be delegates to pledge themselves not to vote
for Justice Field under any circumstances
After the ticket was made up The nomi-
nces for Presidential electors began 20 grow
ashamed OF their company and to resign,
and the State Central Committee. with Mr.
English nj their head. were kept reasonably
busy filling vacancies and peTsuading the
nominees not 10 decline. No person was
even allowed 10 take the stump on behalf
Of the National Democratic ticket, unless he
was known to be a cordial supporter of the
Stockton Convention, The election came |
and the result vas that the Democratic |
party, which two Years before had carried
the State by over - 000 majority, the larg
est majority ever given in the State, was
defeated BY = majority Of over L 900, |
the largest majority ever cast against
the Democratic party in the State, and this !
defeat came from the middle class the |
moderate property holders. Mr.. Henley |
himself, in q district where he should have |
had very large majority, barely pulled |
through, and was only saved by statements |
circulated by his friends that he was not at |
the Stockton Convention. The seventy |
seven members Of the Legislature who |
favored the legislation above referred to, |
and received tie appreciation OF the Stock |
ton Convention. We're afterwards, with the |
exception of three or four, utterly ignored |
by their constituency, and The three exccp-
tons were elected by greatly diminished |
maiorities. And yet Mr.. Henley says their !,
course was popular and approved by the |
people The next result was that the very |
man who had been denounced and de |
famed in the legislative balls. and declared |
worthy Of being hung, was, by representa- !
tiycg fresh from the people almost unani- |
mou>iy elected United States Senator from |
California.
JUSTICE FIELD.
Senator Cross then speaks ofJustice Field, |
OF whom he says He has been Legislator, |
Judge and Chief Justice of the Supreme |
Court in this State TO him more than any |
other man are we under obligations for an |
excellent system Of State laws. His Chief |
Justiceship was and still is the pride and |
flower OF our State judicial system His |
decisions while on the Supreme Bench of |
this state were and still are clear-cut. lucid. |
progressive, adapted 20 our conditions. and |
l believe, without exception unreversed. |
And ! unhesitatinglv assert fhat |
no man in California has ever had the |
temerity 10 insiuuate that there could be |
any question about the complete integrity |
of his private life ana character" Senator |
Cross concludes with the remark that mat |
tiers in the Democratic party are now setll- |
ing down 10 their usual quiet: while the |
gentlemen who stirred up the discussions |
are off at Washington seeking Offices for |