Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-09-14
A MISERABLE ATTEMPT TO PREJU-
DICE VOTES.

The Democracy in some quarters is much
given to lying about the Republican
ticket. The attempt is being made to
show that foreign-born citizens we're pur-
posefully excluded from the ticket. OF
course this is the veriest rot, and besides is
untrue, since Mr.. Reichart is of German
extraction, while Mr.. Hart is native of
Great Britain. The truth is the Republican
Convention chose men for candidacy wholly
regardless of nationality, and solely upon
the ground of fitness and representative
character. 1t scarcely lies in the mouth of
party that has put an Old-time Know
Nothing at the head Of its ticket to say a
word about foreign influence We have
and should have no distinctions between
nationalities in American citizenship.
There is no more vicious, humiliating and
generally damnable doctrine, than that
which holds that men OF various nation
alities must be pat upon tickets to "catch
the votes" of citizens of like nationality
If there is an Irishman, German, French
man, Italian or other citizen Of foreign
birth who does not feel insulted by the
bare suggestion that his vote is to he easily
caught by placing his countryman on a
ticket, thereby implying that he is incapa-
bic of vote Of conviction and reason, he
Is so far from being an American that he
ought to be DISTINGUISHED. We are peo-
pie Of mixed blood, a nation of foreigners,
when it comes to that. No one of US but
can trace his lineage back, over but brief
record to foreign sources. We want no
native Americans, Communications or
Irish-Americans in this country but
simply Americans. 1t is n title of ma
tionality not to be tagged on to any other
and then parted in the middle, without
ofIense to every right-thinking man. To
say to an Irishman, "vote this or that
ticket because man is upon it who was
born in the country from which you emf
grated to this" is to insult the voter and
slap him in the face with the imputation
that he is the tool of prejudice, and an I'M
reasoning being. If our tickets are TO be
made up to represent foreign nationalities
there is not one of the seventy or eighty
foreign classes of which our citizenship is
made up, that may not rightfully claim
representation. We have always sup
posed that tickets were made of candi-
dates to be elected to represent the Ameri-
can system and nothing else. If, however,
the doctrine is to obtain that officers are
to represent Prussia, Austria, Russia, Ire
land, England, Norway, France, Italy
Greece, Spain, Mexico, and fifty Or sixty
other nationalities-each one having as
good right to representation as the other
the American system of elections will
degenerate into the most vulgar and
vicious of contests between nationalities
for the right to rule. 1t is clear evidence
Of the demagogue and dishonest politician
when 4 man is heard shouting " give the
Germans representation, give the Irish
representation, give this, that or the other
nationality representation on the ticket
The honest, fair-minded and self-respect-
ing man wants good citizenship and COM
potency in the make up Of the party tick
cts and if it happens that all the candi-
dates are Irish, or German, or French, or
Spanish born, or are all born upon Ameri-
can soil, the fact cuts no figure in the mat
fer whatever. The men who are so indus
triously endeavoring to work up the sup
posed prejudices of foreign born citizens
against the Republican ticket, count with
ont their host The foreign-born are alto
gether too shrewd and cear-sighted to be
led thus by the nose or be made the victims
Of such trickcry and the tools of I'M
worthy and the most ignoble and selfish of
prejudices.