The San Francisco call., 1896-08-25
PARTY HARMONY.

The contrast between National Republi-
canIsm and National Democracy in this
campaign is most striking. In the central
organization of the Republican party there
is harmony of sentiment, unity of action
and well-disciplined cooperation every
where that gives to the party the coher-
ence of q well-ordered army confident in
its leaders and inspired with enthusiasm
for great cause. In the central Demo-
cratic organization there is discord, con-
fusion, generalization and the mutual
examinations and recriminations of men
who have neither confidence in one an
other nor in themselves, and whose fac
ton fights not only assure defeat in the
coming election but presage the destruc-
tion of the organization as a political
party.
This contrast between the National or
ganizations of the two great parties en-
bodies an important lesson to the Repub-
licans of California. On the one hand
there is harmony and the assurance of
victory, on the other is discord and the
certainty of defeat. No argument in favor
of party discipline in the State could be
more effective than a consideration of the
attitude of the two parties before the Ma
tion. We cannot expect the National
ticket to save the State, Congressional and
county tickets for the Republican party
unless the Republicans OF California show
as much loyalty to the local organization
as they do to that of the Nation; and that
loyalty must be made manifest in the one
case as in the other by harmony of senti-
ment, unity of effort and thorough dis
cipline in the ranks.
In every large aggregation OF men there
are always those who are ambitious of a
leadership they have not the ability to ex-
ercise, those who are discontented unless
they have their way in everything, those
who are disposed to magnify every petty
evil in their own. party while overlooking
gross ones in the opposition, and those
who by reason of some personal spite or
dissatisfaction with chosen leaders seek IN
every way to weaken their influence and
if possible to prevent victory under their
management. Such men are, of course, to
be found IN the p publican party of Cali
fornia and it is the duty of loyal members
to be on guard against them and ever
prompt to battle their efforts to breed dis
cord in the ranks during the campaign or
scatter the vote on election day.
Mischief-makers in themselves are pow
erless. Their numbers are always few
and they rarely have courage enough to
make an openly aggressive fight. The in
fuence they exert, however, is always
harmful and in critical moments may be
disastrous. They sneer at the local leaders
of the party, they mock at the plan of
campaign, they misrepresent the truth to
the injury of party interests, they draw
the doubtful from the ranks. make the
timid hesitate confuse the pubic mind,
turn away independent voters who do not
know the truth, and thus lose to the party
many votes in every locality where such
mischief makers are listened to or trusted.
California has too much at stake in this
campaign to run any risks. She must
give her electoral vote for Mckinley and
she must send to Congress q solid Repub-
lican delegation to uphold his admins
tration and support him in carrying out
the measures of protection and interna-
tional bimetallism. To effect this the Re-
publicans of the State must work in unity
and in harmony. Let Us lay aside petty
differences. Let US stand together for
great principles.