Los Angeles herald., 1892-10-15
THE LOCAL CAMPAIGN.

The LOCAL OAmf
We learn that those speakers who
discuss county affairs are more earnestly
listened to at rural meetings than those
who speak on national subjects. That
is very natural. Whilst there is not one
speaker in twenty who is capable OF
making an interesting speech on The
subject of the tariff, there are very few
who cannot take up local matters and
say something that will excite the inter
est and attention of the people OF the
county. Immediate self-interest also
comes in to cause the average citi-
zen to feel more than ordinary
concern in the way in which the
public moneys have been expended.
No doubt he feels more inter
est in county affairs than he does
in national, because the fact that his
taxes have been lavishly expended by
the present county officials means that
he will be called upon to pay more and
higher taxes to supply the extravaganza
OF the men who feel secure in having
continued possession of the offices, oe-
cause their party is in the majority.
The average speaker at meetings, both
in the country and the city, who clearly
and searchingly discusses county mat
ters, will find that he can gain the ears
and hold the attention of his auditors
with far greater success if he confines
himself to local issues than if he spreads
himself all over the union for subjects
which he may have only partially di-
gested, and which he is not at all pre-
pared to satisfactorily enlarge upon.
We are not unmindful of the import
ance of the presidential election when
we advise our local speakers, with few
exceptions, to confne themselves to
local issues. California can hardly be
considered one of the pivotal states
upon whose electoral vote the genera
election will depend. There are OF course
certain contingencies in which her vote
would be decisive. But these contin-
gencies may not arise, and if they should,
the voters of this state have other, and
better means, OF forming conclusions
upon the large national question than
they would be apt to get from merely
local speakers.
1t is, therefore, advisable that more
attention be paid by our local orators to
home questions than the national ones.
Surely there is no dearth of suggestion
for effective speaking in the numerous
oH a,o o1 al hat nHor1od in fhp
way that county affairs have been con-
Quoted in the last four years. At ali
points the peoples interests have been
betrayed, and their taxes shameiully
squandered. Instead of conducting
offices as public trust, too many Of
the county officials have carried out
their duties in the most reprehensive
manner. When it is shown that the
county clerk could have saved the peo-
pie between two and three thousand
dollars by submitting the printing OF
the great register to competitive bid, we
are told that the law did not explicitly
require him to do so. When the loose
and lavish way in which the court house
furnishing was given out to partisan
favorite, by which the people were made
to pay fifty thousand dollars more than
the furniture ought to have cost. we are
met with the lame excuse that
the original estimate was so grossly ex-
ceeded by the claim that the work done
and the materials furnished were OF a
superior and high'cost quality. When
we point to the appalling fact that the
money wrung from the taxpayers last
year reached the enormous cum of
81, ,347 $50 54, and that that was the
grand total of the expenditures, we are
told that small inherited debt from old
Democratic administrations is the
cause. During the three and half
years the Republicans have held the
county government exclusively, they
have received and disbursed the enor-
nous sum of four and half million
dollars!
1t is time to cry halt to this waste of
the peoples substance. This halt can
only be had by turning the leeches OF
the party in power out, and putting new
men in. The Democrats have presented
ticket which is beyond criticism, and
whose names are guarantee that econ
omy and reform will characterize their
conduct of affairs if elected. Urge these
facts upon the attention of the voters,
and they will take them to heart, for
they will feel that in their own interest
they must put an end to regime that
has been recreant to the trust the peo-
pie have too confidently reposed in it.