Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-11-04
THE CITIZENS
The Question Of Voting
the Straight Ticket.
RottennesS Of Our City Fol-
itiGS.
No Pfineip!s, But Plundsr Remains.
No PfinGip!s, But PIundsr Remains.

A NY MAN WHO HAS LIVED IN SACRA-
Amento for several years past and now
boasts that he never voted anything but a
straight Republican or Democratic ticket is
either not entitled to belief or is not a true
citizen.
Parties, when formed are based upon some
important principles OF government, or their
founders will not receive the necessary follow
ing to constitute such party organization. So
long as those principles replaiu basic and living
in the party organization. aud are reflected in
its aims and efforts, its members have some
thing around which to hold c1uacil fires and
worthily display devotion to party organiEa-
ton. But whenever the machinery OF any
party, however noble or grand its former or
present principles, passes inc the hands and
under the absolute control and keeping of a
seemingly corrupt bossisn that knows no
principle bu, dangerous power, aud has no aim
but spolls d volion to such parry conditions
and management constitutes political crime,
and any person who continues, while such con-
ditions last, to ''vote the straight ticket and
blindly support the corrupt power, thereby
forfeits the name of good citizenship aud
proves himself al enemy 20 his country and to
the best interests OF his party.
Socalled devotion to party under such cir
cumstances, is nothing more nor less than de-
votion and blind homage TO bossism, the worst
aud most dangerous enemy to-day to the repub
lican system of government. The moment that
a boss is able TO SGT up and maintain power over
parties and people. through intrigue, corruption
of voters, bribery and intimid ltion at the polls,
the very genius and framework of our Govern
ment is violently assaulted and totters.
So long as the golden principle that "msjori-
ties shall rule " is maintained, the mistakes of
ill-sdvised nominations and of bad party man
agement will be endured and overlooked, be-
cause Of belief or knowledge OF the fact that
majorities are true 20 the interests of the many
and will correct in the future the errors OF the
past But when, instead of merely party errors
being committed. the party ship is boarded and
captured by political pirates aud bandits, the
principles of the organization and their true
supporters thrown overheard, and the piratieai
crew set forth to plumber, burn and rob, without
reference to the castsway principles, or the
rights of voters, no man can be true to himself
or his stranded party who joins the ranks of the
pirates or supports them by ANONYMOUSLY fol-
lowing in their wake.
Yet this is precisely where every man places
of Sacramento before him, he declares that be
never votes anything but the straight party
ticket. Any citizen who can say that when
majority control of Central Committees is pro-
cured through brazen purchase and intrigue
| when caucuses of his party are Systematically
overriden by being packed with opposite party
members, whose services sIe purchased at 81 a
| head, aud manipulated by his own party's
bosses. as has become the rule in this city, and
| was VIGOROUSLY and shamefIlly done at the
primaries held to select delegates to the last
County Convention
When primaries, which are supposed to indi-
cate the very pulse and untrammeled senti-
ment of choice of the party, are absolutely con-
trolled and the result determined by brute
force OF the tullel and thugs of he city, and
from State Prisons and elsewhere under tn
pay and genera ship of his party bosses, and
an additional surety to defeat the will of the
party aud people, several hundred votes are
crimiadly purchased for coin, and scenes OF cor
ruption ard violence are made rife that stamp
indelible disgrace upon party and city
When these scenes of disgIaceful Corruption
fraud AID intimidation are so intensified at the
election following as 10 disgust every true citi-
zen and bring the blush Of shame to the cheek
of every honorable man, because of the dis
grace of his party, his home and his land.
When, we say, with this interchangeable record
and disgraceful political picture before him,
any man can say that he never voted anything
but the straight ticket of his party which is
guilty of these crimes; never did an, thing but
swallow the dose and vote the straight ticket,
because these evils should be corrected within
the patty or that the "opportune time had
not arrived in which to act-is not only I'M
worthy the name OF an American citizen, but
should be banished and forever debarled from
the rights and privileges such citizenship was
established to confer.-The Citizen