The record-union., 1896-05-24

The expectation of Gavin McNap ana
other local leaders, expressed TO me last
week, that whatever disagreement tIeie
might be in the party ON the Aiiaiciai
question would lead to friendly coLhPro-
mise rather than war, is not pelhs re-
allied Yesterday McNab SAID that ne
hoped for a plank in the platform liia'
would be as satisfactory as prdcllcdpie
to both sides, and that mlAeu ueiesa-
ton would be sent to Chlcago. MS
idea is that considering the State VI
opinion in California, the queStioIi VI
national finance had better pe Iele "
the National Convention but hau
hardly left McNab when L encouHtereu
Commodore Sam Braunhart, VINO holus
a commission from the Harbor board,
and he was booming for lree sliVel'
..McNeb Pond. Daggett and the other
gold men" he said, fool themselves
when they think the silver1tes are not
going to put up battle. we want tiie
Democracy of this State to declare Iol
free silver in the platform, anu L. lof
one. am going to advocate that oh liie
floor of the convention. we are III
dead earnest and want no stfaddle.
It's the duty of the Democrats OF Cah-
fornia to let the National Convention
know how they feel on silver. Inc rlcn
men of the party and some otheiS'
who are good enough Democrats OH gen
eral principles, are gold bugs, pul 'iie
rank and file are for silver we ouehl
not to be behind the Republicans IN the
procession" -
1t is developing, also, that opposltloh
to a woman suffrage plank is hlahlls
headway, and the chances are now liih'
Eaa G
the platform will either ignore the ID
sue or pronounce against It. Inc leao-
ers are beginning to thing thal theS
may be able to take the German Note
and the saloon vote away from the
Republicans by antagonlzlng the SUI
frage amendment. ''The GerihanS'
said one Democrat of influence, ARE
intensely hostile to anything III the
way of sumptuary legislation, and they
believe that if the women could vote
they would be led by the preachers and
give US a reign of Righteousness OF the
blue-law variety, including a holy Sab
hath and no beer The pulpit ideal Of
a world that is one great Sunday-school
doesn't attract the German mind 1
know plenty of German Republicans
who are incensed at their party for that
suffrage plank AS for the saloon
keepers, you have only to mention
woman suffrage to them in order to
start them swearing at Southern Cali
fornia and virtuous one-lungers. 1t was
Southern California that ran things up
at the Republican Convention, ana
Southern California is showing that 1t
has less and less use for the saloons.
Then there are lots of Democrats who,
while they don't care rap about
whether the saloons are regulated or
not. have a very strong objection to be-
ing regulated themselves. TO thelr
mind any abridgement of personal I'D
erty is too high a price to pay Tor closed
saloons and pious Sunday. L notlce
that about everybody who is disposed
to let other people do as they think
best, and wants like freedom for him.
self, is against woman suffrage. so
guess we will have to disappoint the Ia
dies this time. The first duty in poll
tics is to get votes, and as the Repub-
Hcans have bid one way, we'll just, as
a matter of business, bid the other
way"
Democratic instinct IS apparently
averse to the female voter. The thought
of her excites suspicion and alarm. But
/ heard an exceptional Democrat mold
ing forth in hotel office the other night
I'm in favor of giving them the ballot,
he said, "and just for the same reasons
that decide you personal-liberty chaps
to the contrary. The parsons have got
the bulk of the women under the church
thumb, just as you say, and L maven
any doubt that if we gave them the
franchise the first return they'd make
for our kindness would be to dose US
with New England Sunday laws and all
that kind of thing. But only at hrst:
II wouldn't take them long TO 1nd out
that laws don't enforce themselves, anu
that the best rules for running a COM
munity are not those that work pest III
the nursery. 1t would do women lot
of good to be in politics. 1t would crop
the comb of their conceit and give them
common sense. All save one woman in
a hundred has got the modest nouon
bred into her that somehow, just be-
cause she's female, she's better tnah
man. I'm married myself, and my
beard's turning gray, and I've come 70
the conclusion that what this world
needs most is more sensible women. II
the sex would drop on themselves and
learn that they haven't got monopoly
OF goodness. and that tonOrance and
human outfit, it would make life pleas
anter all round. It would set women TO
thinking of something besides their own
charms and virtues and petty affairs II
they were in politics, bring them up
nearer to mems standard for men, and
improve them in every aspect. Conse-
ouently I'm for the suffrage amend
nnent. Nobody shall say of me that
I've ever done anything to keep women
down and prevent them from getting
next m themselves But do wonder al
the preachers being hand in glove with
the suffragists. For the minute women
get their awakening minds interested
in politics they won't have great dea
of time or inclination to spare Tor the
heather, or church fairs, or sewing so
cieties and making slippers for the pas
tor. Woman suffrage, the brethreT
would ascertain within twenty years
was the worst thing that ever strucB
theology. Take away the ballot from US
and In the next generation most of us
would be going to church again.
There is growing about the contem-
plated Endorsement of the Cleveland Ad'
ministration by the convention Those
who insist upon such plank argue tha1
it is simply a party duty formally 10 ap
prove the Presidents course Inc an
swer to agonizing questions about thf
bond issues is that had the supreme
Court not knocked out the income ta1
there would have been no lack OF revenue
and no need for new bonds. AS for tbs