The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-09-22

Democratic paper IA good standing
Its German subscribers would ike "a
knoWsses -. -. -. q .noitag
From the Indianapolis Journal
The Democratic Speculation.
The people. Of Indiana do not fully
appreciate the danger of the position
in which they are placed By the in
| trigues of the Democratic leaders for
| the resumption Of the Wabash Canal
| by the State, and the payment in cash
| Of 1the debt for which twas surren-
| dered in 1876 1t is the great ques,
| ton OF the present contest. There is
no issue of State policy pending, of
any impvr lance, beyond the personal
issue involved IN the selection of hon
est officers, who viii perpetuate the
faithful administration of the Repub-
licans, and save the State from repe-
tition Of the frauds and speculations
| Of the Democratic era. The canal
swindle stands alone, as measure to
be consummated or defeated at the en-
suing session Of the Legislature.
| Those who are managing it openly
| boast of their power to accomplish 1T.
They have held consultations IN this
city, at the house ofthe ostensible pro
prietor Of the Sentinel, or that of his
| father, to devise the means. They
! hold sums Of money ready for corrup-
| ton, before which all the bribery ever
known in the. history of the State
dwindies to the measure of pocketing
postage stamps and stealing stationery.
And 10 their money they hold all the
power they want. Laws involving
millions Of dollars have been carried
through Congress by bribery. New
York legislation is absolutely con
trolled By it. The New Jersey Leg
islature is owned by arailroaa. Cor
porate and combined, interests every
where count confidently upon the
power of money. well placed, to secure
any exemption. or add any privilege,
they want. The examples of Its inhu-
ence are too numerous to allow those
who possess it to doubt that it will be
as effective here as elsewhere Let US
see what they can afford to doin the
way Of bribery. assuming without hesi
tation that what they can afford to do
they will do. The canal debt, with
accrued interest, will be, By the time
the Legislature adjourns, SIS, GOO, OOO.
The holders Of the stock have pur-
chased it for Eve, ten or fifteen cents
on the dollar. The average outlay
has been about ten cents. IF they can
force it back upon the State they will
get dollar for dollar, and interest at
FIVE per cent. until it Is paid. This
wall give them clear profit of ninety
cents on the dollar. or only 81 300, 600
less than the entire face of the stock.
They will pocket SIG, 200, 900, clear and
complete, as the net result of their
speculation. Now what can men afford
to give to make such a speculation safe ?
Five millions of dollars, easily, and
never grudge it. That will still leave
them with stock, at par, or near it,
moaunting TO $11, 200. 600, exclusive of
the 5000 900 interest every year, which
they will get. Five millions of dollars
VIII give to every man, OF the one hun
bred and fifty members of the Legis
lature, thirty three thousand three hun
dred dollars-a handsome, independ
ent fortune. But there will be many
Republicans IN the body who can not
be bought, who are pledged TO resist
the swindle to the last gasp, and who
are we'll to do IN the world without
the hire of villainy. There will be
some Democrats who can not be led
By the nose By the Bright collection.
There will be no use II trying these
with bribery. Aud there will be a.
considerable body of Democrats who
will support the swindle IN any event,
as party measure, as they would sup
port a scheme to turn the asylums into
doggeries If the party wanted 1t. These
need not be bought; they are safe
without it. Then there will be
small lot of purchasable scoundrels,
who will hold the balance OF power
between the unpurehssable opponents
of the swindle and its party friends
who will need no buying, and among
these only will bribery be necessary.
Twenev men will most probably be all
who are not SO fixed by principle, or
party adhesion, but that money will
get their zntes. To each of these
twenty the mansgrrs-nf the scheme
can give two hundred and nifty thou
sand dollars. Does any sensible man
doubt that there may be twenty men
in the next Legislature Who can be
bought to load the people with op-
pressiYe taxation for the next twenty
years. for a quarter of a million each,
unless they are rIveted and clenched
by pledges2 Aud even that security
may be too weak against such mon
strous bribery. just think, people of
Indiana, of the narrow circle of men
among whom any bribery viii be nec-
essary, and then think of the immense
sums that the success of the swindIe
will enable the hangers to pay, and
you will see that you never stood be-
fore In such peril of a great calamity
as you do to-day. We do not knox |
that pledges of resistance from your
candidates viii save you, but they may. |
At least they are the only remedy. !
You can do nothing else. Is II, then,
without reason that the s8indle man I
sgsrs boastingly declare that they
don't care what We do; they can buy I
their biIlthrough the Legislature If I
every voter was opposed to it." They 4
know we'll what they cln do, and they
have no hesitationln saying it. for they
feel clear beyond the reach Of the PEG
pie. Now we ask you TO think of the
which this gigantic Demo
cratic Yillainy places you. You are
threatened with a debt that viii tax
you every year forty cents on the hue
dred dollars, to fill the pockets Of
Democratic speculators. who have
bought this worthless stock with the