Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-29
THREE CONVENTIONS

the faith and purposes of as many
political parties. For the first time in
many years in California the voters are
given their choice of three that are
alike Though in varying degree) pro-
gressive, Independent of the influence
of selfish and corrupt business inter-
ests, and showing real concern for
the welfare of the whole people and
not merely that fraction fortunate
enough to have amassed great vested
interests.
Or the three conventions most in
terest attached to the Republican for
the same reason that the recent pri-
maries of that party aroused the
greatest interest. The merry scrap
now going on in that party, the oc-
casional CLEAN of knives protruding
from under the coat-tails of the ex-
regulars when their vehemence over
the situation spreads those appen-
dages, and the uncertainty as to just
how many times the steam roller would
| be rolled over all that is dear to the
machine element, lent great interest to
While it is to be noted that the new
dominant party within the party
tackled with praiseworthy courage the
unpleasant job of washing the soiled
linen and hanging it out on the line,
it must be said that it did not do
so without many grimaces and hard
swallows, for the glories of the G.. o.
P. so eloquently spun into the pre-
face contrast rather amusingly with
the confessions of the partys bad
misdeeds and the reasons therein why
it mas had about enough of the pub
lie confidence for while. despite its
penitence.
There is a great probability that the
praise of the ancient glories of the
party and the confessions of peni-
tence and a purpose to do better will
not hold enough of the independent
vote in line this year to offset the
treachery of the machine element. The
best they could do, the insurgent plat
form makers could not hide the fact
that they are frightened over the stu
alton, not only in this county and state
but in the nation.
Many of them are shrewd and wise
men. They can see how untenable is
any defense of the protective tariff as
it has come to be under Republican
molding, and how inconsistent on their
part and unconvincing to reformers
who are thoroughly in earnest about
this matter is the insurgent attitude
of the present day. This attitude is
the one long held by the Democratic
party and candid persons must admit
that that is the party logically to be
entrusted with the work of reforming
one of the greatest systems of legal
lied plunder that the history of gov
ernments has ever seen. The place for
these insurgents is in the Democratic
party.
There is a great body of independent
voters that are tired of temporizing
with existing evils. They are for ac-
ton. Past party glories mean nothing
to them. They are for doing a thor
ough job. They admire the Republi-
can insurgents but will not have any
thing to do with party that still has
room for the weak Mr.. Taft, the brazen
Aldrich, the oily Sherman, the domi-
neering Cannon and all the rest of their
kind who, Willingly or unwittingly,
have been serving Wall street and its
allied interests.
In this state they look askance at
any party that berates the Southern
Pacific machine and still asks the ad-
herents of that machine to turn in and
work for its candidates. This is the
illogical situation from which many
Republicans and independents will
turn to the Democrats and other par
ties-the most radical going to the So
cialists-as more likely to force the re-
forms that the times imperatively de-
mand.
adopted by the Republican insurgents,
the Democrats, and the Socialists shows
how near together they are in spirit
and purpose at least. Time has soft
ened their mutual distrust and suspi-
cion, has robbed mere names of their
superstitious terrors. and made them
see as thinking men how inevitably
events are drawing them together in
the fight on predatory wealth, which
is best represented in this state by the
Southern Pacific but is the same in
its greedy aims and it's blighting ef-
feet the country over,
There are only two classes in this
state today-the progressives on one
side, and on the other the class that
consider the rights of vested interests
as paramount to human rights. All
the platforms favor the essentials of
reform, the Australian ballot, the short
ballot, the direct primary, the initia-
tive, referendum and recall, the non
partisan election of judges, the popu-
lar election of United States senators,
the abolition of fees, the adoption of
real home rule and local option, the
razing of the tariff wall that has shell
tered the trusts and forced the prices
Of Hfe's necessities up to a back-bceak-
ing level.
The local Democratic party has the
advantage this year over its Repub-
lican rival in being united, harmoni-
Gus, completely free from corporation
influence, and with a list of candi-
dates of rare merit. The insurgent Re-
publicans hold the whip-hand in their
no rty nut the beaten regulars. with |