Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-03-23

will admit of the transit ruling being !,
kept in force or any evasion whatever of
the law, shall remain binding. On this
platform the President stands. If his sin /;
cerity is such as we hope it is, he will, if
he believes it his duty..to oppose legislation
for the reason stated, be foremost in pro-
noting new convention with China, that
will be decisive of the whole question.
We have as little regard for the dema-
gogue as the Alta can possibly entertain,
and no sort of sympathy with the spirit
that seeks to make political capital out of
the Chinese question. But there is a wide
difference between such effort and the de-
termination of an important policy of the
country. A policy forecast, and to which
party and its leader pledged themselves,
and upon which they were advanced to
power and responsibility, should be vital
lied by that party and its leader with
something of real vigor. The country has
right to demand that the action of an
Administration so pledged, and for which
it received good consideration, shall do
something more than await the results of
the working of the present laws, as the
-Ata suggests it is doing. 1t is enough to
know that the Restriction Act is not held
by the people to be sufficient; that its
weaknesses and its doubts have given rise
to an irritating and damaging agitation,
that threatens to involve three States of
the Union in internicine strife, which the
4tie itself deeply deplores.
But our San Francisco contemporary is
illogical in its defense. 1t practically ad-
mits that the Presidents story about the
declaration is true when it declares that
Mr.. Cleveland has kept his promise by the
mere act of appointing Democrats as Gus
toms officials at Pacific ports to carry out
the Restriction Act. This is sad-eyed
| plea in columns that are constant in de-
claring mere partisanship 10 be the bane of
political organization, and that stands for
duty to national good as first, and allieg-
ance to party as secondary. 1t evades the
important fact wholly, that the i'll of the
Restriction Act is in the weakness dis
covered by Federal Courts, and which
bodies have advised and suggested RENE
dies that it is now desired to erect into
| laws by amendments to the Act and by
new provisions. The charge of the Alta
| that the violations of the Restriction Act
were due to the unfriendliness OF Republic
can officials, is such an answer to our re-
production of the platform pledge of the
President as the man makes who shouts
You're another"
Even less defensible is the further re-
Spouse made by our contemporary in refer
ence to the late Convention, that " Repub-
lican politicians have not concealed their
desire to give this anti-Chinese agitation
the most violent turn" However true
this may be-and we are not disposed to
seriously take issue with its charge-still,
observation impressed us forcibly with the
fact that the Democrats were the Freer and
more Ready to seize the vantage of oppor-
tunity that tumultuous body afforded them.
And, in TRUTH the prevalent impression is
that whatever there was of gain by such
tactics the Democratic contingent secured
in short, got away with the plum.