Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-02
PRINCIPLES, NOT MEN.

lanuS. lHiS cutcT TpIlslbS SOheiOhI"h,
who, with his brother, has done more in
building splendid roads, leading through
serpentine drives, in two years than the
Los Angeles board OF supervisors have
done in the past ten years, very cor
rectly says that the Democratic party
ought to be governed by principle in
the approaching momentous national
convention.
We agree entirely with Mr.. Smylie.
1t is because we think that the prize OF
governing a great nation, directing its
daily concerns and influencing it's des-
tiny is great and overshadowing thing,
that we object to the fetish worship OF
Mr.. Cleveland being carried to the ex-
tremes to which his partisans insist on
carrying it. Measures, not men, should
be the inspiration of great party.
1t has been somewhat unfortunate for
David Bennett Hill that the Mugwumps
control very influential press in the
real capital of the United States-New
York city. These men are powerless at
home, where they are known. and where
their self-seeking and minnified ways
are understood. To illustrate our mean
ing, Roscoe Conkling said that George
William Curtis. the dilettdnti editor of
Harper's Weekly-the MAN Milliner"
Of his famous Rochester speech--had ten
friends in lucrative positions in the
service of the government OF the United
States to his (Conkling's) one, although
it was universally understood that be
was quite influential in Grants admin
istration. The Mugwump is a peculiar
creature. He is the outgrowth OF
phenomenal development that has con-
verted the sons Of the cobblers, cord
wainers, tobacconists, tailors, and others
OF the hoi polloi of the city of New York
into fastidious aristocrats of the nouueau
richie. Being thus constituted, the Mug
wump does not know exactly what he
wants. The only sure thing about him
is that he desires to antagonize anything
that is direct and manly.
In our judgment, the united efforts Of
this class of journals. which employ
numerous and clever stats, composed of
gentlemen who are we'll equipped
to make the worse appear the
better cause. have had the effect
of biasing the judgments of sterl-
ing Democrats. The distinctive
claims OF MIR. Hill on the respect and
confidence OF the people are manifold,
and prominent amongst them has been
always his determined antagonism
OF this Mugwump element, who do not
know what they want, and who want it
in sort OF queasy, indeterminate
way.
The Mugwump reminds US of pecul-
lar development of the ladies of the
French revolution. There were certain
high, fantastical ideals amongst those
DANES. They grew go capricious that
they did not wish to be loved for their
charms of person or of mind-for their
attractive physiques or for their rare
conversational powers. Their am
bition was to be loved for them
selves alone. This is the case of
the Mugwump. He very prudent
ly avoids challenging attention on
concrete details. He essays to pass
muster on his abstract entirety.
David Bennett Hill, who is opposed
by all the abstractionists, first electri-
fed the country by the declarations II
am Democrat" Walking down to the
edge of the platform from which he was
speaking, and looking the audience in
the eye, in the height of his last guber-
Material campaign, he said: "It is my
"belief that there are enough capable
Democrats in the United States to fill
"the Offices, and I believe they ought to
"fll them. If there are any Mugwumps
"within the sound of my voice 1 wish
"them to distinctly understand that I
do not want their votes. Ii there are
mot enough Democrats, or people who
'sympathize with Democratic princi-
"ples, to elect me, do net wish to be
"elected."
As we write, we have not Governor
Hill's speech before US, but we have
given the substance of this cele-
brated passage, and we put it
in quotation marks because it is
substantially accurate. The Democratic
party and the country needed this
manly aud ringing utterance to rescue
it from engulphment in the torrents OF
and "snivel service" slush
which were then deluging the country.
Governor Hill has been for seven
years governor of the great state OF New
York. During the entire period of his
of that exalted position he
has been the vigilant and indomitable
champion of the right. Fraud has re-
tired appalled, from his stern and patri-
otic resistance. His vetoes have spread
a halo of glory around his head. No
corrupt or equivocal scheme, during the
whole term of his incumbency OF office,
has had a moments chance OF life. He
has added to the service which he thus
performed to the whole people of his
state, the signal grace of restoring the
rule Of the majority, which means that
in New York the Democrats have come
by their own. He has placed New York
on a democratic republican plane,
and broken to fragments a cor.
rr1 nj and fraudulant Ranu hlicau