Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-08
The Breach will Widen Rather
Than Close.

It is sometimes very unfortunate for
political organization to be too strong.
Many circumstances concurred to give
the Republican party an invincible
strength, during the last Presidential
election, in this State. In the first place,
MIR. Cleveland's specially strong attack
upon the wool interests of the country
was not particularly calculated to help
the California Democracy. The Demo
cratic press wrote many and fervent arti-
cles calculated to show that our sheep
men, who were then selling their wool
for about eight cents pound, would
get more money Tor it if the tariff OF
nearly that amount were taken
off, but the wool men didn't believe
It. The reduction of the duty on raisins
Gid not help US specially either. The
HERALD, together with its Democratic
contemporaries, did its best to demon
strate that both sheep men and raisin
growers would really benefit by the
changes contemplated in the Mills bill,
but the classes affected did not think so,
and voted accordingly.
To cap the climax of Democratic dis
comfiture, the workingmen got an idea
into their heads that if the Democratic
party were succeeeful wages would be
reduced and work would be scarce. This
was all wrong; but, as result Of the
prevalence of the craze for the time
being, the workingmen, irrespective of
past party affiliations, quietly walked up
to the polls and voted fer Harrison. 1t
was impossible to convince them that
the passage of the Mills bill, moderate
and conservative as it was in the main,
would really invigorate American in
dustries.
As a result, Los Angeles city and
county gave an overwhelming Republi-
can majority, which in no sense repre-
sents the real strength of the great ma
tional parties. This was decisively
proven by the returns Of the municipal
election which followed the Presidential
contest.
But the signal victory in the Presiden-
tial and county elections has probably
ruined the Republican organization. As
q result of success 60 unparalleled and
unhoped for, the party has eplit into two
factions in this section which bid fair to
make it the victim of that scriptural quo
tation, which Lincoln was SO fond of
using, that "a house divided against
itself cannot stand"
We are thus confronted with the right
royal squabble between the Times and
Tribune factions Of the grand old party.
Whatever and whomsoever the one
wants the other would not touch with q
fcrty.foot pole. 1t is charming pecul.
iarity of the Republican party that
it claims all the morality, all the decency
and most of the intelligence. But the
registered standing of horse thief in
the social world is high distinction COM
pared with that which the members OF
either of these factions will accord to the
other. Types of villainy Of hitherto uu-
recorded turpitude are suggested by the
mildest expressions that either indulge
in when speaking of the other.
This great chasm, though bloody in
intent, is not yet incarnadined. There
has never been movement to really
bridge it, but during the recent visit to
this city of Boruck's next friend, Cover
nor Waterman, a strong and determined
attempt was made to change the relations
which his exalted accidency had borne
to the factions. 1t was thought at one
time that the Governor would be cap
tured by the Times cabal, and that jour-
nal for the time being intermitted its
roarings against the San Bernardino
statesman. The effort failed, and the
Governor gave pronounced evidence of
his continued devotion to the Boyce
crowd. This unexpected result of the
well meant efforts of the Times clique to
capture the State Executive Immediately
resulted in certain interesting and dis
cursive articles and editorials upon the
selection of the Whittier site for the State
Reform School.
And now the breach in the Republican
ranks, originally wide, is wider, and is
daily widening. Knives are being sharp
ened which are to be driven to the hllt.
And now comes into play, as respects the
Democracy, the old adage that it is an ill
wind that blows good to nobody.