Los Angeles herald., 1891-03-13
THE WORST WE EVER HAD.

We are aware that public bodies are
sometimes unjustly assailed, and that
there is predisposition in the public
mind to look upon legislatures as venal.
Unfortunately the general instinct is
seldom wrong in this, and American leg
islatures have come to be in many OF the
states the terror of the taxpayers. Very
rarely has session of the legislature in
this state come to an end that the whole
community has not felt as if great
load had been lifted from it, and sense
of relief follows upon the feeling that
something calamitous was liable to hap
pen at any moment.
Never, however, in the history OF this
state, has there been SO general con-
yiction in the public mind that the
legislature now in session has the most
corrupt majority that ever assembled at
the capital. 1t has not only given all the
outward and visible signs of rottenness,
but at least one of its chief members
has been caught red-handed selling his
influence for money. Elwood Bruner, a
man of capacity, and so prominent as a
Republican leader that he was selected
for the distinguished task of placing
Senator Stanford in nomination, has
been detected in selling a position on
the San Francisco police force; that is,
he sold his recommendation for four
hundred dollars, with the assurance that
10 H. %61 IL = bic 6irnnCoI
Bruner had the misfortune to get
caught; but the way in which he has
been sympathized with by large num-
ber of his confreres shows that many OF
them ought also to have been caught.
1t is inconceivable that a man guilty OF
the scoundrelly act which Bruner COM
mitted could command the contenance
and sympathy of honest men; and the
conclusion most generally reached is
that as they are not free from evil
courses themselves, they cannot afford
to abandon one OF their number whose
worst offense was to have been detected.
What, indeed, could have been ex-
pected from legislature great proper
tion of whose members were corruptly
put up by the bosses for the purpose of
eIecting one man to the United States
senate? Every Democratic precinct in
San Francisco was colonized for this
special purpose by the managers OF the
Republican candidate for senator. 1t is
not difficult to imagine the kind of cattle
such process would bring to the front
for seats in the legislature.
As soon as it was known that the late
Senator Hearst had been struck down
with dangerous malady, the dominant
element in this delectable legislative
body at once commenced to lay plans for
a backsheesh campaign. When at last
death had opened to them their oppor-
tunity, they were not slow in taking
advantage of the situation. The usual
method of going into caucus to
agree upon candidate was de-
liberately set aside, and the
more profitable method of an open mar
ket for votes was adopted. The mangu-
wiring that has been witnessed so far in
the ballotings shows that the Doodle
statesmen are holding themselves well
dispersed until they can force out the
sack. As soon as that important feature
is complied with the public will see a
harmony of action and voting that will
show where the little joker was hid.
This Republican legislature has plas-
tered itself all over with mud. 1t stinks
in the nostrils OF the people, and, to
use phrase of the late George Pen
Johnston, it is so offensive that the man
in the moon holds his nose as he passes
over the state capital in his luminous
orb.