The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-10-30
TIE LIMIT OF IMPOsTURE AND
CORRU PTION.

The result OF the election Will depend on
the answer to two problems-frst, can the
people OF san Francisco be deluded by
lies? second, can the voters Of San Fran
cisco be bought?
The claims If both Republicans aud
Democrats to public support depend on
propositions which are false on their face.
The Crimmins and Kelly people claim
shat they are the lineal descendants of
the old aud honorable Republican party
Of this city. In fact, they have no more
affinity with that party than Nike de
Young has With Abraham Lincoln. The
Republican party Of the war times and
the early reconstruction period was above
all things upright 1t said what was true
snd II did what was right, whereas the
Kelly and Crimmius ORGANS never tell the
truth except by accident. as their reiterated
falseho0ds about the Non-Partisans prove,
and the faction never does what is right
until il is coerced by DEGREES Of court. The
old Republican party set pure politics above
everything; the Crimmins- Kelly party call
pure politics Sunday-schoOl nonsense and
expect TO succeed by packing primaries
and conventions and by stuffing registers.
The CID Republican party appealed to the
people on the ground that ii was abreast
Of public sentiment; the Crimmins-kelly
party appeal to the people on the ground
that their predecessors were loyal twenty
years ago and that they are their llneal
heirs.
So the Democrats expect TO succeed
through a general conviction that the party
has been purged Of Buckley iniquty. With
few exceptions, the Democratic leaders are
the same old frauds. The machinery is the
same; the State Central Committee is the
same; the ward speakers are the same; in
the event of Democratic success there is no
reason why the party policy should not be
the same. The same men who robbed the
city under Buckley would rob it under Sui
liYan and Dwyer. There would be change
of few names, but the spirit would be I'M
altered. 1t is By c0ncealiDg this and by
falsely asserting that the city Democracy
has been born again that the Democrats
hope to win. Like the Republicans, they
are building their hopes Oh foundation of
deception.
But the main expectation of both parties
is'that they viii win by buying votes. This
expectation is more confidently and more
plausibly entertained by Republicans than
by Democrats. though an irrigating ditch
appears to have been dug from Fourth and
Townsend to the Democratic Headquarters
in order to provide for all eyentualities.
The Crimmins and Kelly party are quite
confident that they are going to carry the
city. Mike d e Young is sure OF it. Why
No citizen who has any property or who
ever expects TO own any can be opposed to
movement for the restoration of pure
politics and for the overthrow Of the bosses.
These are things which ii is self-evident
that all decent men must be in favor Of.
Thus the confidence which Crimmins, Kelly
aud De Young express must be based on the
belief that people will not vote according 10
their convictions, but in obedience to some
other impulse-which can be nothing else
than bribery. Tie bosses believe, after q
careful scrutiny Of the field. that they can
buy votes enough TO override the votes of
honest men who vote according to their con-
sciences. Are they justified in this assump-
ton?
There are, in round numbers, IS. 600 reg
istered voters in the city. or these about
5000 are believed to have been illegally or
improperly registered. and half Of them, or
perhaps 5000, will be stopped when they go
TO vote. and remanded for trial, with a fair
prospect Of going to the penitentiary. Per
haps the total suffers vote cast will not
exceed $500. This will be the nucleus of the
bought vote. A pro forma roster OF the
Non-Partisans showed a voting strength OF
$500, which would give them the election
by plurality in case the Republicans ard
Democrats divided evenly. To beat them
Crimmins and Kelly would have to buy
25,0OO yotes in addition TO the suffers who
are already retained on their side. Are
there so many men in San Francisco who
are prepared to sell their votes?
1t is perhaps safe TO say that. though
Kelly, Crlmmlns and De Young buy With
railroad money the vote of every scoundrel
who is willing to sell, they will still fall
short OF securing a plurality al the election.
1t would be a shame and disgrace if it
were otherwise.