The morning call., 1891-12-27
a LITTLE PARTY FIGHT.

Mr.. Christopher A. Buckley, firing upon
San Francisco at long range. says that the
recent endeav0r of honest men to purify our
politics was nothing but a little party
fight" lie comedies in opinion with a can
ddate for United States Senatorship who
sent his agent round Sacrament to buy
votes at $1,000 apiece. That worthy also
thinks that the loathing which his behavior
reused was nothing but "a party fight"
Both critics endeavor to divert public atten-
ton from the real questions at issue to
screen their own turpitude.
The question now before the public is not
whether Judge Wallace, Barclay Henley
and jeremiah Lynch were impelled TO uu-
dertake their crusade against corruption by
hopes of personal reward. That is trivial
consideration. The real issue is whether
the corruption which they denounced did or
did not exist, and whether it was or was not
preventing the orderly conduct of public
affairs and the honest administration Of jus
tice. That issue was not and could not be
a party fight. 1t was fight between hood
lers on the one side and the people on the
other Members OF both parties were found
in either camp. The Senatorial combine
which got $1,000 per head for votes at Sa,la-
mentO last winter. contained both Republic
cans ard Democrats. The Grand jury
which Buckley denounceS, consisted Of ten
Republicans and nine Democrats. Neither
in the crimes which led 10 the popular up
rising against doodle nor in the methods
which the leaders Of the movement adopted
did party cut any figure. The agitation was
non-partsan all through from first to last.
1t is absolutely false that any party px-
pected to benefit or that any party appre-
heuded that 1t might suffer from the Grand
jury Investigation, unless Buckley and his
fellow-thieves can be called party.
Some OF the circumstances which led to
the attempted reform are narrated in the
report OF the Grand Jury. One OF them is
thus stated:
director OF a corporation testified that his
company paid Mr.. Buckley Tor about FIVE years
up 10 the END of last month a stipend averaging
$500 month, and that In addition his concern
had TO lay on The eve of elections, in one in
stance $1,000. 1t is understood that other cor
porations were under tribute in like manner,
so that Buckeyes annual revenue from that
source alone may have aggregated 100000.
Ii also appears that from large number
probably Teaching into hundreds Of employees of
The municipality, lie collected certain percent
ages OF their monthly salaries.
1t may appear to Mr.. Buckley, in his
iC4hEC at 4-UuUOL- lildi we cA pltSolON VI du
objection TO blackmail of this kind is moth.
ing but little party fight" But if there be
any party in this State which approves of
bleeding corporations and municipal office
holders, for the personal benefit of a pollti.
cal boss, it is not known to the public at
large. Voters have sometimes voted for
Buckley's candidates because they saw DO
alternative which promised improvement
bnt thpra tot h.
heelers Of the boss who attem pied to Justify
his highway robberies. Apologists for such
crimes may rerhaps be found in striped
garments in the State prisons; but they
never were numerous enough to constitute
rarty.
In his illusions TO the political struggles
in which be has taken leading part Mr..
Buckley's discretion is as remarkable as his
defective memory. He remembers things
which did not occur at San Jose, but he has
forgotten the price which he demanded for
nominations at the convention in that city.
He Tecollects that he made the late George
Hearst Senator. but the sum of money
which he got for the job has quite escaped
his memory. According to his own account
ne held judgeships in the hollow of dis
hard and distributed them at his pleasure,
with an eye to future contingencies; but he
did not think it worth while 10 mention the
trifling fact that LIE took $500 from litigant
before the Supreme Court, ostensibly for
securing him a favorable judgment from
that tribunal. For one who says that he
made Senators and Judges at will out of
common clay he seems IT, be singularly in
different to the merit of his manufactures.
There is no doubt that he was responsible
for the election of several Judges and for
the packing OF several juries, and it is pre-
cisely these creations of his who provoke ed
the existing rebellion against corruption,
and whose misbehavior has driven him into
exile. When lie was in the business of for
getting the past he had better have forgot
| ten that TOO.