Los Angeles herald., 1890-05-26
MONDAY, MAY &c, 1890.
AN IMPENDING POLITICAL CATACLYsM.

The attitude of politics in this state at
the present time is an interesting study,
Two years ago the republicans carried it
overwhelmingly. 1t is now conceded
even by republicans themselves that
there will be reversal of the vote this
year, and that the democracy will secure
a brilliant victory. We need not look
far for the causes which have led to this
sudden revolution in public sentiment.
Lieutenant Governor Waterman, by the
death of Governor Bartlett, became, to
the CONSERVATION OF his party, the ex-
ecutive of the state. During his
incumbency he has played ''such
pranks before high heaven" as
to have dissatisfied and mortified
everybody. The scandalous way in
which he forced a commission appointed
by himself to select site for the new
insane asylum has been the subject of
wide and adverse criticism. His shame
full veto of a measure that would have
enabled the people in tine several coun-
ties to establish mutual insurance COM
panies and get out of the grippe of the
grinding San Francisco combine" has
exasperatcd the farmers; and the gen.
eral slouchy way in which he has con-
Quoted the affairs OF his high office, has
rendered the executive department the
laughing stock of the whole state. In
deed we can compare his projection into
the governors office with nothing so
opposite as the placing of bull in a
china shop.
We must not forget that the republi-
can party, in the conduct of the national
government, has failed to redeem any of
the promises made to the people before
the presidential election; nor that
Harrison's administration has been as
much of a fiasco as Waterman's. We
have never in all our history had so no
account president as the one who went
in on the strength of his grandfather's
hat. Even Hayes was several persim-
mons better than Harrison, notwith-
standing he entered the white house
under the shadow of a stupendous fraud.
Protection, in the shape Of our war tariff,
was to work wonders for the relief OF the
suffering people; but the fact has been
that since Harrison was elected and en-
tered upon the duties of his place, there
have been more strikes, greater distress
and more business depression than we
have had before in decade. Super
added to this calamitous state of affairs
is the spectacle of a speaker of the house
of representatives setting himself
up as parliamentary dictator,
and violating every right which
the practice of century had
guaranteed to minorities. The Ameri-
can people have seen with alarm the
strides towards Capitalization and as
sumption of autocratic power the re-
publicans have made since they have
got possession OF all branches of the
government, and the masses are deter
mined everywhere to administer them a
rebuke at the first opportunity. Insen-
sible to the lessons of the gloomy his
tory through which we are struggling,
they have passed through the lower
house tariff schedule that will inten-
sify the distress OF the laboring classes,
still further impoverish the farmers,
oppress commerce, tie up what is left ot
our merchant marine and infict untold
injuries upon all the legitimate indus
tries of the country.
Is it to be wondered at that the people
stand aghast at the way in which the
republicans are running the country
Or that they have everywhere deter
mined to call "Halt!" even if they have
to run counter to their party prejudices
in doing so? So general is the feeling
that there must be a speedy change il
the administration of affairs that all the
state elections this fall, in California as
elsewhere, will show significant revo-
luton in the sentiment of the people.
ELECTRoCUTION AND ITS MORAL EFFECT