San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-05-29
SATURDAY, MAY 20, 1886.
CAUSES OF DIVISION.

WHEN the pressure Of necessity force
man into the close ranks Of society
the foundation of his education as
creature of associations was laid. After
that was established all elise was pos
sible. Just Ia proportion as men have
kept this necessity of association In
view, and acted upon it, have they sue
ceeded In their undertakings. 1t Is the
one bond which holds the churches, the
commercial classes, the political parties,
the scientific searohers and the indus
trial world together, and makes OF the
many one body. A body having diver
sity of members, it is true, and these
members having diversity of functions,
yet none the less one body. This mu-
tual dependence and interdependence
is no where more plainly seen or more
generally recognized in theory than in
the movements and workings Of political
parties; yet, in political parties these
principles are more grossly violated
than in most other open corporations.
One reason for this is that the olsen
siOns Of political parties are not so much
due to differences of opinion on ques-
tiOns OF policy as to the dissensI0ns on
questions Of personal preferment. The
history of the political parties proves
this. The differences in the ranks of
the republican party are mainly divis-
ions along the line Of personal animosi-
ties and rivalries. Were Blaine and
COnkling thoroughly united the party
would be invincible. What is true Of
the republican party, at large, is true OF
the democratic party in Texas. There
are no questions Ofparty policy dividing
the democracy Of this state. That this
is so will be apparent when the
adoption ola state platform comes be-
fore the convention. 1t were a
strange prophet who would make
a like prediction concerning the
selection of candidates to give eff
feet to The declarations of the
platform. Months before the discussion
of matters of policy opens, the discussion
of candidates wakes hot. Moons before
the nominating convention is held, the
state is flooded with the speeches and
pamphlets of rival aspirants. The bot
tle-holders Of each, in the shape OF dis
Interested journalists ARE grooming their
men, decrying the merits Of their rivals,
and exhausting the yirulence of invec-
tive to show the utter unreliability and
worthlessness of the opposition. To say
nothing of the divisions. the iealousies,
the envyings that are engendered, the
dishes Of cold crow to be swallowed, ad
nauseum, by those who get left-the
spectacle is not an edifying one for the
nation. This barefacsd attempt to carry
the convention before its assembling, to
cut ont its work before 1t meets,
to make the nomination OF any
other candidates impossible or at
least difficult, by forestalling the
choice of the convention and commit
ting all, who are susceptible of being in
huenced, to some ring-rustled candi-
date can only work harm to those who
engineer the procession. 1t is true that
IL is none Of the LIGHT's funeral. The
democracy can go their own way to de-
struction without wringiBg tears from
republican eyes. But the utter sense
lessness Of parading the personal jeal-
Ousies Of candidates before this state and
the nation is too apparent to pass with
out notice. There is not man who has
taken part in this umseemly scramble for
front seat in the convention that has
not thereby advertised his lack of that
personal dignity SO essential to the head
Of this commonwealth. This senseless
division OF the state democracy, on
purely personal grounds, defeats the
very end of association and fatally uis-
integrates. That pressure ofnecessity is
wanting which alone makes binding
and gives the force Of one mind to the
movement Of all. The overwhelming
majority of the democracy in Texas will
be its curse and final destruction.
The man who sent the Swain-Phillips
dispatch has not yet been evolved from
Al - oh