The herald., 1898-09-28
Observation-Disclosures Hzx
MILITARY POLITICS j
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
By ABBOT KINNEY
VII.


in the courts as to where the inmates Of the
Soldiers home should vote are interest
ing. The large newspapers in the state
| have generally made no criticisms. Some
few have approved the action. These are
mostly Independent in character. A con-
siderable number Of the local papers have
denounced the appeal to the Republican
judges for decision Of this important
question. None of these denouncers state
| accurately the object Of the action. Every
one grossly m.sstates the case, No two
| agree in regard to It. Not one traverses
| or denies the constitution, the laws. the
decisions of the supreme courts Of other
states and Of the United States. upon
which the case Is based. They simply
denounce an attempt to enforce the law.
Very logically, the penalty numerously
suggested Is unlawful. and even extends
to hanging or murder of the individual who
would appeal to the lawful courts In such a
case.
This is curious attitude for law-abid!ng
American citizens. 1t may reasonably be
said from these criticisms that the advo-
Gates Of military politics and the voting
| Of soldiers, or the massed inmates of In
stitutions, or of those not within the state
jurisdiction, have a weak case and one
which has no constitutional or legal stand
| ing.
One of the curiosities in their medley Of
appeal to sympathy or prejudice is from
San Diego. In this the city of Los Angeles
IS condemned generally and Is specifically
denounced because the Times newspaper is
published here and Abbot Kinney lives in
this city. This is certainly a strange tum-
BILE, in which a narrow and unw.se d!spos!-
tion Is shown in an attack on an entire city
arising out Of local prejudice. Whatever
may be said about the management OF the
Times, no Intelligent and l.beral-m!nded
man can fail to recognize the Times as a
power in the progress and development Of
Southern California; nor can such person
be other than an advocate Of verything
that will promote the prosperity OF any
part of our community. The growth Of one
section adds to the strength OF all. The
petty jealouses of ne.ghborhood localities
that still exist among us are an injury TO
all and of advantage to none. The violent
attacks Of these local papers are close
repetition Of the French military political
press in the Dreyfus case. The salient
| feature in both is the utter disregard of
| law, the condemnation Of fair legal exam
nation of the case and violent denuncia-
ton.
| My critics evidently consider the law
the supreme court of the United States,
the constitution Of this state and the prin-
ciples of eternal justice applied to the
franchise in Anglo Saxon communities the
world over as negligible quantities" AS
in the Dreyfus case, the entire body Of
military politicians has raised hue and
cry and appeal to prejudice The
number who came forward to destroy
Dreyfus for the honor Of the French
army" is paralleled in this case by the
twenty-one lawyers who are to oppose one
man. This act Of the twenty-one is also
for the "honor of the army" This case
Will doubtless come before the federal
courts in another form and give these gen
| tlemen continued occupation.
The case is not partisan case 1t would
be ridiculous to assume that any Demo
crat would seek to gain partisan adva D
| tage through Republican court, such as
! our state supreme court is. The politicians
| who desire to manipulate the Soldiers
home vote have all formally declared In
favor of the voting of the residents Of the
] federal reservation. All four parties Of
| the county have passed res solutions to tn S
| effect. If it was thought that the state
court might admit the large body of sob
d.ers at San Francisco to the state
| franchise while in garrison there the prac-
| tical politicians would doubtless advocate
such action in the hope Of handling the
| vote. The practical politician will count
every vote he can, and even invent votes
where the law Is laxly enforced. No poll
| tician would dare to question the LEGALITY
| II two thousand votes. massed In an Inst
| tuition, which votes he might at some time
need The military politician IS still more
dangerous, for he defies the law and in
evitably drifts into violence.
The military politics of France have
driven that fine nation, Ike shuttlecock
| from a republic to an empire, then to alter
mating dynastes of kingdom, then to a
republic and back to an empire, and now to
republic, all within this century. Now
the republic is again threatened with a
| military dictatorship because the honor
| Of the French army would be sullied by
discovering the truth and bringing Grim
inals to justice.
Spain has also long been dominated by
military politics. Similar corruption, IN
stability of government, weakness ard
demo- lizaton of the army itself Is there
in evidence. The same curious .dea exists
in Spain that there is an "honor Of the
army" that overrides the constitution and
the law.
My critics have the same idea, viz: tina t
the army is above the law and is not to be
asked TO observe it. The Span sh- -Ameri-
can republics are all dominated by mill
tary politics. and all have equally unstable
governments, both violent, unjust and cor
rupt. Military politics was striking fea-
ture in the downfall Of Rome.
Anglo-Saxon communities have been re-
mark bly, free from military politics. Eng
land is the only locality of the race main
tain.ng a considerable standing army.
This is very small considering its empire,
and but an infinitesimal part Of this army
compared to those Of its neighhors, is kept
at home. The English army is not manip-
ulated in politics. All Engl!sh-speakng
people are hostile and jealous Of standing
armies The United States has been so to
an extreme degree ever since It's existence
as a nation. The American people have
never been willing to support a standing
army of importance. Every other English
speaking locality Is equally hostile to stand
ing armies If we can put finger on any
one thing that more than others has gone
to perpetuate and advance Anglo Saxon
free and self-rel.ant. responsible govern
ment by the body of the people and has Sc
curad the reign of law and tlStica n amnn u