Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-17
DEMOCRATIC MISREPRESENTATION.

1He AounS MEL Democratlc League OF
San Francisco is sending throughout the
State card purporting to prove that the
Republican party is not the friend of ballot
reform, and that the Democratic party is
its most ardent champion.
The proof" given is a selected list of
State Legislatures in which it is claimed
more Republicans voted at some time
against the Australian system, than Dem
ocrats, and that more of the latter than the
former, by considerable majorities, adj
vocated the adoption of the reform ballot
law.
This is disingenious showing. 1t lacks
The essential clements of the whole truth,
and complete exhibit. The card, for in
stance, does not show that in the earlier
presentation of the system to Americans,
when it was not we'll understood, and was
crude, the division of sentiment among the
people arose from the detailed methods of
the schemes, some ten or twelve of which
were advocated. In rare instances only
was there announced or reserved opposition
to a secret ballot. That is, there has not
as any time been, save by one or two Legis-
latures where there was Republican
majority, luminosity to the reform.
The truth is that the system was born in
this country of Republican suggestion and
received its initial yigor from advocacy by
the Republican party.
In this State the only presentation of the
reform to the Legislature was repulsed by
a Democratic majority. The Federated
Trades bill of 1889 was, it is true,
advocated by the Young Mems Dem
ocratic League of San Francisco, but
it was antagonized and defeated by
the Democratic party and the boss
influence, in opposition to which
the League was primarily instituted. The
REcoRD-UNIoN pointed out errors and
dangers in the Federated Trades original
bill. These were confessed and the bill so
amended as to avoid them. In that form
the Democrats in the Legislature refused
to give it even ordinary consideration, and
its promoters were treated with almost in
sulting GOODNESS.
None are better aware of these facts
than the members of the Young Mems
Democratic League, which saw fit to COM
mend through its officers the position of
the REcoRD-UNIoN upon the question.
Yet this same League puts at the foot of
the card referred to note declaring that
the Republican party has ignored the re-
form, while the Democratic Convention
has pledged its candidates to its support.
The San Jose Convention did rush with
hot haste into the ballot reform ranks,
seeing in that action some possible partisan
gain. For similar reasons the same party
became the radical advocate for free and
unlimited coinage of silver, notwithstand-
ing the fact that in its previous campaigns
and conventions it had declared unequivo-
cally against silver.
1t was unnecessary for the Republican
Convention to extend its too lengthy plat
form by announcement of the friendship of
that party for the secret ballot, since it is
matter of history that championship of
free secret ballot system and the perfect
protection of the voter in the untram-
meled exercise of the elective franchise,
has been and is one of the cardinal princi-
piles of the party, and since it has not at
any time opposed or failed to champion
measures to make that doctrine the law of
the land.
The misleading statistical card of the
league is false and cunningly deceptive in
several important particulars. 1t gives
for instance, votes in 1887 and 1888 in
the New York Legislature upon some par
ticular ballot reform bills, but omits the
record of both of the vetoes of the measure
by Governor Hill, Democrat. The
Legislature of New York is Republican
and, as such. twice passed the reform bill.
Again, the league omits the record of
the adoption Of the reform system in Mas
sachusetts in 1888, in Wisconsin in 1887,
in Montana in 1889 and in other States
by Republican Legislatures.
If the Young Mems Democratic League
has determined to go into the business of
projecting statistics into the State cam
paign upon the record of the Democratic
and Republican parties on ballot reform,
it will find itself in very deep water. 1t
is not denied that Democratic Legislatures
have passed with approval upon the secret
ballot system, but to assert that the ma
jority of votes in the Legislatures of the
testing of issues, have been cast by Re-
publicans is to falsely represent the record
of fact. To say that the first and most
persistent enemy of ballot reform has been
the Democratic party, until quite recently,
when it shifted to the popular" side, is to
simply state a matter of political history.
THE OrerIGnd Monthly expresses its graf
ifcation that the award for the Lick His
torical Monument was made to a sculptor,
instead of to any of the many decorators,
architects, middlemen and founders who
submitted designs. Perhaps in this day
and age of money and hard and cold COM
-mercial push the expressed qualification of
the magazine is justified. But it is very