Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-06-21
REPUBLICAN, OPPORTUNITY.


REPUBLICAN, OPPORTUNITY.
4 contemporary remarking upon the
acceptance of the railroad tax money by
the Controller, says that at no time during
the late controversy was there a sincere
attempt made by the officers of the State,
prior to the Attorney General taking hold
of the matter, to test the integrity of the
oft-rcpeated protests of the railroad COM
panies that they did not desire to avoid
the payment of their taxes as was being
constantly charged against them. The
reason for this is obvious. Had any such
test been applied, it is certain that con-
siderable amount of supposed political
capital would have taken wings, and the
so-ealled Stockton Democracy would have
been deprived of its chiet stock in trade
II was not, indeed, the sincere desire Of
the majority of the Democratic State
officials to have the companies pay their
taxes-it was more to their political inter
ests, as they viewed the matter, to have
the charge impend-that the corporations
were seeking to avoid payment altogether.
When, therefore, the Attorney-General
approved method of receiving the bur
den Of the taxes without sacrifice of any
rights Of the State, and still have the legal
issues remain for judicial determination,
it became necessary, as bit of supposed
political strategy, TO turn the artillery Of
the opposition against that officer, not
withstanding he was a member Of the
dominant party. The Aho, itself a Demo
cratic paper, says that it never doubted
the propriety of the Attorney Generals
action, because it had business as well as
legal analogies to support it. This is true,
but business custom is invariably le-
gal custom and practice. Commerce
conducts its affairs very strictly in
conformity with the laws of the land.
1t has now been determined that the At
torney-General was not only right in his
judgment as lawyer, but that he had the
approval Of the business sense of the people
was long since apparent. Why then did
strong wing of his party antagonize him
Clearly in order to trade upon supposed
sentiment Of animosity among the people
against railroad companies. Now it must
be clear to every intelligence that the
Democratic party will be called upon to
.lutifv its policy in the coming campaign, for
it was after all, and despite the protests of
some of its membership, party action, and
made an issue in a campaign, and the party
cannot come up to the polls in November
and ignore the accounting that will be
demanded by the people. 1t read out of
the party the chief man in it hold
ing position who has been proved
right in his action. The people will look
with an interest whetted by curiosity, for
the excuse of the politicians of the Demo-
cratic organization who took the chances
OF wreeking the State Treasury, in order to
advance personal political ambitions. We
could very well wish that an official who
has shown himself 50 courageous, as we'll
as trustful, in standing out against his own
party, and accepting the position of po-
litical outlaw for conscience sake, and who
held for so long period of time an i'm
mense sum of money safely, that he was
not bound officially to account for and for
which his bondsmen were not re-
sponsible, was a Republican, that his
faith and honesty and courage might be
rewarded by retention in Office. The
right thing for him to do would
be to desert the wreck which his
contemporary partisans made of his party.
We can do justice to the man, but if he
remains with the wreckers he must expect
10 share the fate that will certainly be
visited upon the party next fall. There
are indications that an effort will be made
to save the organization by RELOCATING the
Dunn Delmas faction to the shades of
forgetfulness in party history, and to have
the few faithful Democrats who esteem
principle above personal ambition, take
the lead and revivify the organization.
The moral rehabilitation of a great party
Is always commendable, for it means good
FOR the people should it come into power.
But we apprehend that the people OF Cali
fornia viii conclude that a season of pun
ishment for the expiation of party sins is
necessary in this case, and the righteous in
the organization must be content to suffer
with the others-so far as deprivation of
official holdings is punishment. The rev.
Citations of Democratic boss rule in San
Francisco will further this judgment The
people of California cannot therefore,