Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-10-30
In a sorry Plight.

Such disorganized front has seldom
been presented by great national party
on the eve Of an election, as the Repub-
lican party presents to-day. Nor has a
party often gone to the country with a
more unpatriotic record fresh in the
minds of the people. They made
declaration of principles at Chicago in
the early days of July, and from that
day to this they have been trying their
very best to get away from it. They have
treated the tariff question very gingerly
at all times, and since the passage OF the
Senate bill they have practically dropped
it. When Blaine came home he posted
Matt Quay off to Washington to stop
work on that bill, but the Senators
gave the greatest statesman, to under
stand that they were minding their own
function. Mr. Blaine tried retaliation by
ripping the platform to pieces on his own
account in his first speech at Portland,
Maine, when he proceeded to defend the
Trusts so eloquently. So on all sides
they pull in opposite directions.
Their lack of patriotism is even worse
than their divided front, for the reason
that it manifests not only their lack of
principles, but their unprincipled atti-
tude. There exists grave difficulty be-
tween this country and England on the
question of the Fisheries along the coasts
of Canada. 1t is Of old standing,
and ought to be settled. The Admins
tration at Washington negotiated an ex-
cellent treaty, which the British Govern
ment was ready to ratify and which
would have settled the whole matter in
dispute fairly and honorably. But the
Republican Senate thought they could
" beat Cleveland by knocking this
measure on the head. The treaty whose
advantages to this country would have
been manifold was killed. The situation
being grave in the extreme, the Presi-
dent asked for power to deal with Can
ada, the little English colony hav'
ing developed rather fiippant
spirit in the premises. The
Republican Senators thought to refuse
this would "beat Cleveland" and, there
fore, refused to pass the Retaliation bill.
American labor has been agitated for
years over Chinese immigration, which
threatens to put every toiler in this land
on starvation wages. Time and again
efforts to obtain relief have been made,
but to little or no purpose. The Admin
istration negotiated treaty with China
which the Emperor was ready to ratify
at once. 1t went to the Senate, and once
more these patriots thought they saw
chance in this ''to defeat Cleveland"
and forthwith proceeded to delay
and tinker with the treaty. Mean
while the Chinese who were on the
other side of the Pacific paying their
people visit, focked back in thousands
afraid their return might be cut off.
The Senators were not legislating to help
labor, their interest was not the good Of
their country. They were "beating
Cleveland" and cared nothing for labor
or the country. The peculiar Oriental
Court took umbrage at the delay, or
formed the idea that under Harrison
if he should be elected, better terms
would be obtainable, and therefore re-
fused to ratify the treaty, although
the Senate amendments did not
amount to straw. Then the
President procured the Scott bill
to be passed in the House and sent to
the Senate. The Republicans in that
body, misconstruing a disposition on
the part Of the President to let this bill
rest until the rejection Of the treaty was
beyond question, thought Cleveland did
not mean to sign it at all, and still intent
on 'beating Cleveland" they passed
this bill.
And now, on the very eve Of the cleo
ton are found this "relic OF key.cold"
party, abandoning their platform, devoid
of an issue, with not rag Of a principle
to hold up before the people,
taking up the foolish letter of blund-
ering old diplomat, obtained under false
pretenses by an unconscionable scoundrel
whose villainy causes him to hide his
personal identity under forged sigma
ture; and like drowning man this poor
old bankrupt political body catches at
this rotten straw foul as if from the filth
of Augean stables as the last remaining
"hope OF beating Cleveland" In sorry
plight indeed is this 6. o. p. !! The shades
of Lincoln and Grant would blush for
shame did they see those who bear their
name resort to such petty, foolish and
rascally tricks to elect candidate whose
admirers laud his intellect and morality.
MurchisOn Discovered.
The San Francisco CaN says: