Los Angeles herald., 1890-08-15
A TAKDY AND PRESUMPTU0US RE
PENTANCE.

If the Democratic party will only ex-
ercise good judgment in making up a
ticket at San Jose, it will walk over the
state in triumphal march. The animos-
tiles that have been aroused in the Re-
publican ranks must inevitably bear
bitter fruit. They will not down, for
they are Of that deep-seated kind that
leave sharp and lasting sting behind.
The way in which dirt was thrown at
Markham surpassed anything ever be-,
fore known inside party contest. The
friends of Morrow pursued the tactics of
the bravo, and stabbed him in the back
whenever they got chance. SANDER,
vituperation and falsehood held high
carnival, and then to make matters
worse, the element of sectionalism was
thrown into the contest, and the seeds
OF a great and irreconcilable breach bet
ween the Republicans of the north and
the south were sown in rank and quick
ening soil. Whilst, under the circum-
stances, Markham will receive his party
support at this end of the state, there
will be dissatisfaction and detection at
the north which will leave the Demo-
cratic party a fine field to operate in.
1t would be, however, the height Of
folly to underestimate the strength Of
the enemy at this time, and by taking
it for granted that we can win whether
we nominate the best ticketin our power
or not, place before the people nomina-
tions that are weak. This kind OF policy
will not win. There are holes in the
armor of our opponents. Let there be
none in ours. If they have made mis-
takes we should profit by their errors
and make none. We must play our best
cards to be sure of success.
The Republicans are trying to make it
appear that they broke away from boss
and corporation rule this time. This is
a frank acknowledgment that they have
heretofore been under such rule. When
charged with it in the past they have
uniformly denied it, and their assumed
repentance at this late hour will impose
on nobody. The people are not ready
to take offenders to their bosom at the
first affected blush of contrition. They
will require season Of probation before
they can be admitted to the feast. Re
pentance and good wishes may in the
course of time approve their sincerity
and placate the public, but it is asking
too much of the people to accept their
confession and reward them with the
highest honors at the same time. In
the ordinary course, the criminal who
pleads guilty receives clement sem
tence. Yet outraged justice must have
some satisfaction from the culprit. The
Republican party's plea of guilty should
have due consideration but that that
consideration should also free it, not
only from all punishment but give 1t the
highest seats in the temple at once, is
not tenable proposition. Let it sit on
the .'cutty stool' until the church
is fully satisfied it has atoned for its
crimes against the whole congregation.
We haveno doubt that the Democratic
state convention will be ruled by wise
counsels. We believe that it will place its
best men in nomination and that it will
show the state by its acts that it is, as it
always has been, deserving Of the conf
dence OF the people. We believe that it
will place Mayor Pond at the head of
the ticket. In him it has an invincible,
and with him it will march to victory
sllch as IL achieved in 1882