The herald., 1898-06-15
REPUBLICAN SPLIT

There is an old adage to the effect that
If one minds his own business he has no
time to mind the business Of other peo-
pie. This adage is peculiarly applicable
to the Republican newspapers in this
state For the last few weeks they have
been busying themselves with the affairs
of the Peoples party and giving its mem
bers advice in wholesale quantities upon
the important subject of coalition. Fron1
all appearances they might better have
devoted their time and attention to the
equally important subject OF teaching
members Of the Republican party how
TO mend the split in their own party.
The factional fight of the Republicans
IN this state has been developing for
some little time. At first it was not looked
upon as serious matter, but the compli-
Gated situation out of which the several
candidates of both ends of the stateihava
been trying to extricate themselves has
grown worse as different compromising
expedients have been applied, and what,
for a time, was a local fight has now
become a full-fledged state battle.
The whole trouble arose from the SIM
pie fact that there are but two offices
with which to appease eighteen aspiring
and ambitious Republican politicians and
candidates. The two offices in question
are the United States senatorship and the
xovernorship and the territorial distri-
button of the candidates might be app
proximated' by saying that of the fourteen
candidates for the Republican nominal
ton for governor ten are from the north
ern and four from the southern part OF
the state and that of the four candidates
for senator two are from each Of these
localities.
1t is taken as granted that these offices
are to be assigned, according to the rulea
of geography, one to the northern and
the other to the southern part of the state.
Here is where the fight began, Is con-
tinuing and must be fought out
The northern senatorial phalanx has
Joined forces with the southern guberna-
torial legion against the southern sena-
tcrial and the northern gubernatorial reg
iments, and the result is that the Repub~
lican party Is split in twain from one end
Of the state to the other.
It is only within the last few days,
however that the fight has taken on
sufficient proportions to frighten the
ehrewd men of the Republican party.
Each of these factions has at its head
the cleverest manipulators Of political
machinery in the state. They are call
Ing each other bad names, making
charges and counter charges of jobbery
and fraud and playing the same kind of
politics they have hitherto exhibited in
their contests with Democrats.
Republican newspapers, instead of
pouring oil on the troubled waters, have
taken up the quarrels of these factions
and spewed their venom upon the already
toisterous waves of party dissension.
The San Francisco Wave, in recent edi-
torial, exhausted its vocabulary of abuse
upon a local candidate just because he
happens to be candidate for the nominal
ton of governor, whereas the Wave wants
the same nomination for the northern end
Of the state, and for an individual, as we
surmise, much nearer its BOSOM Yhe
Times Of this city has tried to smooth
matters, but to no purpose. The Express
jumps in with great vigor and shows
the rank inconsistencies Of its Republican
neighbor. The fight is on; the outcome
is uncertain, but the general result must
be to weaken the Republican ticket from
one end of it to the other.
The attention of Republican journals is
respectfully called to the adage first
quoted.