Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-05-20
SUNDAY, MAY g, 1855.
Oregon Politics.

Oregon Politics.
For couple OF months past the Re.
publican press from Dan to Beersheba-
that ia in modern parlance from Maine
to Texas-has been insisting that there
was great conspiracy on foot among
Democratic politicians whose object was
no less in magnitude and atrocity than
the stealing Of State" Oregon was
to be filched bodily from the Republican
column and transferred in bulk to that
of the Democracy. The concoctor OF this
plan was no less a person than the
President of the United States and how
the blush of conscious pride in our
country, in its institutions and
ip the practical methods OF ap-
plying its princioles must light
up the lofty brow OF every American
citizen at the announcement. Think Of
the lustre it adds to the escutcheon Of
this great Nation to tell this in Gath, and
to publish the story in the streets Of
Ascalonl We, the great free and
sovereign people Of this glorious Union,
got up one morning in November in the
year of grace 1884; we put on our best
bib and tucker; we communed with our
inmost heart after the fashion Of an in
telligent, honorable, patriotic people
and thus we left our business interests
for day and went out of our Offices, our
banks, our mills, our mines, our
fields, our farms, our professors chairs,
our editors Offices, our judges chambers,
our philosophers studies, and we all
spent whole day from morn to dew y
eve, intent on the selection OF head for
this great Nation. We triedto get a man
representative OF the American idea-the
greatest Nation with the greatest ideas
on earth. We voted for our preferences,
and more than one half of our ten mill
lion sovereign citizens cast their
suffrages for one Grover Cleveland. And
now the minor moiety Of these sovereign
citizens who voted for some other per-
son, rise up and say that we elected a
common thief, man without honor, con-
science or faith! There is a triumph any
Nation might be proud OF.
Steal Oregon? For what? Well, an
election takes place there on June 5th.
A State ticket, in part at least, is to be
selected, and Legislature. This event
is OF much more than ordinary interest
at this time The Webfoot election is the
first gun of the Presidential campaign. :"
1t is supposed that the result win influ-
ence the votes Of certain thousands OF our
sovereign citizens, when the National
campaign closes five mon his after the
Oregon event. That is again phase OF
our political system which should be
made known to all men. 1t would surely
be ray of Liberty enlightening the
world Think of this, too. Our sover-
eign citizens are SO intelligent, so
pure, so patriotic, that the one
fact and circumstance to guide them
in casting their votes for President
in November, is the memory OF how
their brethren voted for Justice of the
Peace in the Bmatian fogs of "Webfoot'
in the leaiy month of June. There is
another triumph for Republican princi-
pies, before which effete monsrchies
ought to fall
But Oregon chooses q Legislature in
June, which in turn will elect a United
States Senator to replace Mr.. Dolph,
whose term expires in 1889. The State
Senators so chosen will hold over and
have hand in the election OF a second
United States Senator to fill Mr.. Mitch.
ell's place when his term expires in 1891
This last phase of the Oregon contest has
something in it, and is really the thing
which gives most OF its importance to the
election.
Thus far the only fact advanced to
prove q conspiracy to steal the State is
the circumstance that Mr.. John p. Irish
an eloquent citizen of California and a
member of the Democratic party, has
gone to Oregon to speak to the citizens
OF that State OH the political issues of the
day. Side by side with Colonel Irish
marches Mr.. John F. Swift, another elo-
quent and persuasive speaker, also q
citizen OF California, but of the Republi,
can household faith. As to stealing
the only difference between these two
gentlemen up to this time is that Mr.
Irish has never in his life been charged
with taking pin that did not belong to
him, while Mr.. Swift has not Jared SO
fortunately i'll this respect. We are far
from wishing to charge Mr.. Swift with
anything, but desire merely to call at
tention to the standing OF the two men
as to honesty in the eyes OF the universal
people.
But to come at last to the real point.
There is on foot a scheme to influence
voters in Oregon by an improper expen-
diture OF money. Not by oratory, special
pleading, or by such flimsy and uncer-
tain devices. The appropriation bill for
the Fiitieth Congress was sent up from
the House of Representatives to the
Senate the other day. Its aggregate Of
appropriations is nearly s20,0O0, goo, the
largest sum eve5>'evoted to these pur-