The San Francisco call., 1898-01-29
WISDOM FOR THE UNFINISHED.

U T its meeting to-day the Democratic State / \ Central Committee will be compelled to face an important political crisis. Fifty-three of
 its members declined last summer to pay $50 each for the prosecution of the campaign for Bryan and free silver. Under the rules of the committee they may all be expelled for the offense. If at its ing to-day those who did pay the assessment con- clude to dismiss the denquents the committee in stead of consisting of I2S members, will consist of seventy-fvcA In other words it will represent but little more than half the Democracy of the State.
 An inspection of the names of those who declined to aid the of Bryan and free silver by conri- outing $50 in gold to the Democratic Populis cam pagn of last year makes 1t plain that the different denquents had different for their recalci- trancy. It is evident that of them did not have $50. These members may have intended to pay up after the advent of free coinage, which its advocates believe will usher in flush times and plenty of money. Others probably disapproved of the fusion with the Populists; there are many Democrats in California who thought and still think that the fr- sion alliance with the devil. Others still may have considered $3o altogether steep price to pay for Bryan and free silver. Our own opinion IS that that combination would have been dear at any price.
 But the point at which aiming ought to be plain to all Democrats. The fifty-three members of the State Central Committee whom it is proposed to discipline to-day evidently mostly men of prin- clple. At all events they slaves to 'regu- larity, and for that they are under prevailing conditions, valuable Democrats. To dismiss them as IS proposed by the slaves of regularity" would III our judgment, be terrible mistake The mem bers Of the committee may think joking with them Probably 1t is presumptuous the part of d Republican paper to express opinions regarding troubles among the unterrifed But, nevertheless, we do not hesitate to inform the seventy-fve Spar tans of the Democratic State Committee who are contemplating tumbling their ffty-three delin- quent colleagues into the political soup that in our opinion, to do will result in much party trouble
 Regular Democrats as well as regular Re publicans must be aware of the fact that party labels longer hold men together in California. Everywhere primaries and con ventons, caucuses and committees are prov ing ineffective for producing political results. In- dependent voting is now the order of the day. The people no longer ask whether candidate is a Dem ocrat a Republican They want to know how he measures up Man. They vote in these days for and issues, according to party labels It will be mistake for the Democratic State Central Com mittee dismiss fftythree of its members because they refused to contribute toward a campaign in which they took no part because that action will make exactly ifty-three soreheads who will not hes- tate to wreak their vengeance upon the topping Democracy
 The unterrihed may regard it as strange that The Call should offer this advice. There is, however nothing strange about it In the next campaign we intend to support the Republican ticket Naturally we desire opposition worthy of our mette If the Democrats split their State Committee there will be nothing to fight Heaven knows the Democracy will be weak enough this year if united