Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-10-23
WHICH OF THESE TWO

1
the votes of the people, not only because
behind him is Hearst and his bull butter
and slickens, but because he was Know
Nothing and took a solemn oath to put out
and keep out of office, and COW and debase
the manhood of every citizen who happens
to have been born outside the bounds of
this continent, or who entertains religious
views not in accord with a certain creed.
Such intolerance had its day, but while it
lived Washington Bartlett was one of its
supporters, and would be again if opportu
nifty offered, or else he was insincere when
he took the solemn oaths of the order.
Washington Bartlett should not be
elected because, when in the Legislature,
he did battle against the present school
revenue system, and spoke and voted
against per capita distribution of the
school funds among all the children Of the
State. He demanded that each district be
compelled to stand alone, and that the
rich counties should not contribute more
TO the school fund than should be returned
to them from tie State treasury.
In his recent speech in this city he adj
mitted this but added that the bill passed
after being modified so as to remove most
of the objections he had to it. This is not
true. He voted against it to the last. 1t
passed in its purity, and the journals of
the Senate show the statement to be I'M
true. Mr. Bartlett may believe it, at this
distance of time-he has simply forgotten,
for Mr. Bartlett is an old man. The bill
passed as it now is on the statute books.
1t secures to every district having ten
census children money enough to give
them a common school education, and
compels San Francisco and Sacramento
and Alameda and Santa Clara bachelors
to contribute their share to the intellec-
tual betterment of the children of all the
State.
To do otherwise would be to handicap
remote and poor districts, and put pre-
MUM upon public ignorance. Sixteen
years of trial have demonstrated the wis
dom of the futile bill. 1t could not be
repealed to-day. 1t could not command a
dozen votes this hour, outside of San Fran
cisco, to abrogate it.
On the other hand, John +. Swift, sit
ting in the same Legislature, despite of
the demands of San Francisco, voted for
the futile bill, like the courageous, far
seeing man he is.
Charged with Know-Nothingism, he in
diguantly gives it the lie, and says to all
the people:
"R has been insinuated By political enemies
that I entertain sentiments Of hostility totcards
some Of my feiiou-cjtizens because Of their
birthplace, and topards others because Of their
peculiar religious pieus deny this positively,
once for ALL hare nerer done so, eren IN the
| crudeness Of youth, and nor l hare reached the
ripper gears Of mature life, I am certainly far
from holding such notions, and repadiate them
entirely. I hare been accused By the Demo-
cratic press of standing By in silent aequie8ceace
~ Ten such sentiments ,rcre expressed. This is
SIMPLY and purely false and to the best Of my
belief made ont Of vhole cloth"
Mr.. Swift has demonstrated his states
manlike qualities Free from all entangle-
ments with aspirants for place in State or
nation, Woodworking, self-made man, he
is the foremost intellectual and forceful OPP
ponent to-day in the State, of the infamy of
unrestricted Chinese immigration and his
memorial to Congress against it is recog-
nized, as it always will be, as the clearest
most intelligent and convincing argument
ever made for the people of this State, and
by sheer force of its worth has won its
place among state papers.
He is qualified by learning. probity,
brains, independence, and his devotion to
State interests to be Governor Of the COM
monwealth
His chief opponent is a negative man of
ordinary capacity, who has made no i'm
press upon the State, save once, and then
as the member and advocate of an organ
ization that proposed to prescribe large
portion of the citizens of the State because
of birth and religious belief. Which of
these two, both being of pure private lives,
put to judgment upon their public
records, is fttest to be Governor?