Los Angeles herald., 1890-06-07
THE sENAToRSHIP.

tiiS leehuS III tl!o ISSiotl dc w 'ii0 ShoiOO
for United States senator. In its latest
issue, however, the Eraminer has been
less reserved. In this latest number of
our metropolitan contemporary which
has reached Los Angeles it gives full
recognition of candidacy which NEST
Democrats of Southern California be-
lieve to be fruitful of good developments
to the party and to the country. 1t
says
Lieutenant-Governor Whites formal
announcement of his candidacy for the
United States senate helps to clear
the political atmosphere. 1t removes
Mr. White definitely from the list of
gubernatosial possibilities, and goes far
toward releasing Mr.. Stantord's mort
gage on oae of California's seats in the
senate.
For hrs frank and open avowal of his
desires Mr. White deserves credit. The
ambition to serve his state as a United
States senator is one that no man need
hesitate to disclose, and it is infinitely
better for one who cherishes it to say
candiily what he wants than to seek it
by tertuous intrigues, covered by a veil
of affected modesty.
And Mr.. White has chosen an excel
lent principle upon which to make his
fight. The election of senators by the
people is becoming recognized more and
more to be necessity The present
system has become disgraceful failure.
Nine senators misrepresent states in
which a minority of the popular vote
elected the legislatures that chose them.
But for this legal suppression OF the rights
of the majority. the Democrats would
now control the senate. New York,
Connecticut, Rhode Island and Montana
have solid Republican senatorial delega-
tions, although they are all Democratic
states. A popular election would require
4 the candidate to be a man of strength
among the voters, and it would leave
the legislatures free to carry on their
legitimate business of making laws in
stead of demoralizing them by contests
that should have no part in the proceed
ings of deliberative assemblies.
Mr.. White, then, has made skillful
choice of his issue, and he is entitled to
whatever benefit he may derive from
his treatment of it, In stumping the
state for the legislative ticket he will do
an important service to the Democratic
party, and should Democratic majority
in the legislature be chosen Mr.. Whites
share in attaining that result will be given
due weight in considering the claims of
the various senatorial candidates.
Thus far the tardy recognition OF the
Examiner is thorough, though delayed.
But it is not content with recognizing
the fact that Hon. S. NJ. White is in the
field, as the choice not only ofthe Democ-
racy of Southern California but OF the
masses of the state of California at large,
on an issue which the Examiner recog-
nizes as vital to the politics of the state.
1t says:
This is upon the assumption that
there will be more than one candidate
1t will hardly be asserted that Mr..
Whites pre-emption Of the ground gives
him an absolutely exclusive right to
aspire to the senate, as against every
body else. There are others as deserv-
ing as he for whom in justice the compe-
tition should be kept open until all have
had fair chance to present their claims.
There is Mr.. Clunie, for instance. He
is rising man of energy and ambition,
and no doubt would be glad to go to the
senate ii his constituents chose to send
him. He is now in Washington work
ing hard for the people not only OF his
district, but of the whole state, includ-
ing Mr.. Whites own city. Ii Los An
geles gets her public building appropria-
ton, the credit will be due to Mr..
Clunie, and not to the representative of
the sixth district, who has done nothing
for it,
1t would be manifestly unfair and dis
couraging to the faithful performance of
duty to consider hard-working repre-
sentative out of the fight for promotion
because he stayed at his post performing
the services for which he was elected,
instead OF coming home to look
after his own interests. And vet
just this injustice is contemplated
by some OF Mr.. Whites ardent
friends. To allow the question of the
party candidate for senator to be settled
now would give Mr.. White, who is on
the spot, an immense advantage over
Mr.. Clunie, who is three thousand miles
away.
1t it were merely question of stump
ing the state the gallant young repre-
| sentative from the fifth would need to
ask no odds of anybody. He challenged
his opponent in the congressional race
to series Of joint debates, hut the chal-
lenge was declined. He can take care of
himself when he has the opportunity.
All his friends ask for him is fair start,
with every toe on the scratch.
The Democratic party is fortunate in
having such a good senatorial candidate
as Mr.. White. 1t is still more fortunate
in not being confined to him alone.
No one is more appreciative than the
HERALD of the noble service which has
been done to his constituents and to
Southern California by Hon. Thomas J .
Clunie. But, as matter of fact, that
distinguished gentleman has at no time
indicated desire to aspire to the sena-
torship of the United States. The
HERALD, at some later stage, hopes to
see Mr.. Clunie elected to the senate of
the United States, but we limit our
| aspirations to time when Southern
California shall have had at least one
United States senator. This we hope
to get as result OF the present canvass
in the person of Hon. S. M. White.
Since California has been Il common
wealth we have had no such distinction,
and it is high time that we should have
1t now, unless the plan is to crowd us