Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-15
A GRSAT RESPONSIBILITY.

in opposition may really be far more
beneficial to the country in certain cir
cumstances than when in power, it is
nevertheless highly desirable that the
party of the people should, at conven-
lent intervals, occupy all branches of
the government. Thus, for great
many years past, the Tory party has
controlled the administration of affairs
in England, while Mr.. Gladstone, in OPP
position, has almost transformed the
party of Darby and Disraeli into a Lib
eral guise. He has forced the Conserva-
tives, step by step, to advanced posi-
tions from which they would have re-
coiled in horror twenty and even ten
years ago.
The Democratic party has had sim
liar beneficial influence on the Repub-
licans. 1t is gradually assimilating the
more sagacious element OF it's opponents
that is, it is imbuing them with cor
rect principles of constitutional govern
ment. No more conclusive evidence OF
this fact could be adduced than the atti-
tude OF such western senators as Stew
art, Jones, Wolcott, Stanford and the
late Senator Plumb of Kansas. This
potential element of the Republican
party has adopted the sound Democratic
ground on such measures as the Force
bill. They have defeated much vicious
Legislation, and demonstrated the hope
lessness of further efforts in that line.
Our remarks as to Governor Stanford
are confined to his action in the senate
of the United States.
Thus the Democratic party has the
consolation OF knowing that its loyal
and energetic adherence to the spirit OF
the constitution has not been without
good fruits. There are good many
Democrats, however, who, knowing that
their party is in an immense majority of
the popular vote in the United States
the last congressional elections placed
that majority at l, 0,000-think that
Democrats ought to guide the ship of
state and officer and man that noble
vessel.
For some weeks we have witnessed
strong movement in the states which
generally cast their electoral votes for
the Republican nominee for president
and vice. president, to force the nomiua-
tion of Mr.. Cleveland at the Democratic
national convention to be held at Chi
cago on the 23d OF June.
This movement is in violation of two
well-established Democratic traditions,
one of which is that the name OF no
man should be presented for president
in Democratic national convention
who has not received the endorsement
of the delegation from his own state,
and another is that no man who has
been once beaten should be nomin ated
second time. These are not written
rules of the Democracy, but they have
been very binding in the past. The
British constitution is unwrtten, but it
has been none the less potent.
Mr.. Cleveland has complicated mat
ters in his own case by having, when no
one asked him to do go, declared that no
president should run for second term.
He did this in accepting the nomination
in 1884. There is something, in view of
this declaration, very outre in the deter
mined movement to force Mr.. Cleveland
to run for the third time. There are
great many very devoted and unswerv-
ing Democrats who look upon such an
experiment as not only unwise and in
consistent but hazardous and unwise.
The American people have frequent
fashion of taking people at their word.
They so treated Mr.. Cleveland in 1888,
and they might do so again in this year
of grace, if allowed the opportunity.
The source from which Mr.. Cleveland
receives his support, in the main, has
thus far been Republican as to locality.
Day before yesterday the Pennsylvania
Democrats declared for him. The Key
stone state will cast her fifty odd votes
in the convention for whomsover the
Republicans may nominate by from
10000 to $4,000 majority, the one being
the minimum and the other the maxi
mum figure in case Mr.. Cleveland
should be nominated. There is no
vaporing about this. The Republican
majority will range exactly between
those figures.
Then the Massachusetts Democracy
have declared for Cleveland. The old
Bay state will give the Republican
presidential candidate majority not
less than $4,000 nor more than 10000.
We might so into details and multi
ply such examples, but we have given
enough to show what we aim to estab-
lish. If we shall elect Democratic
president this year we ought to pay
particular attention to carrying New
York, New Jersey, Connecticut and In
diana. These, with the solid south, will
elect him, and leave three votes to spare,
but we cannot prudently spare one OF
those states. There is the battle-ground
where, if we are wise, we shall concen.
trate our strength. We shall be helped
out by the changed electoral law of
Michigan, which will do US as much
good as the electoral vote of a small
state, like Oregon, but we ought to look
for little margin, so that if we were to
lose West Virginia, for instance, we
might still pull through. There is
nothing besides to prevent our foht.