The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-06-23

The republican convention closed its Ia
bors early yesterday afternoon. The single
session of the day was marked by
the speech of the chairman, General Harri-
son. who performed the onerous duties of
presiding officer in admirable style, the
nomination of state ticket and the adop
ton of a carefully prepared and elaborate
platform. Full details of the proceedings
will be found elsewhere. No extended pO
tice of the candidates is necessary as they are,
with one exception, veterans in the public
arena. They are at present incumbents of
the offices TO which they ask a reelection,
and have proved themselves able and hon
orable gentlemen. The new man in the
field, John NJ. BlOss, is apparently well
qualified by natural endowments and edu-
cational acquisitions for the place for W hich
he has been put in nomination. With the
single criticism that the habit of returning
the same men to office repeatedly,
is growing evil, it may be well
to pass to the consideration of the platform.
II was one of Machiavellis favorite maxims
that a ruler should have upon his lips at all
times. professions of the most liberal and
exalted sentiments, no matter what his
actual conduct might happen to be. Party
platforms are happy illustrations of the
Italian politicians theory That adopted by
the convention yesterday was even more
than usually profuse in those elegant plati
tades incident to such occasions. In the
long introduction 10 the declaration OF prin-
ciples, the usual appeal is made "with pride
To Ia history of he
republican party. 1t would be well, as years
pass on, to add, that this appeal is made to
the remote past of the party; for there is GER
tainly nothing in its recent history for any
man to be proud of. At best, the accumu-
lated virtues of other days will soon be over
drawn. If no new capital be added.
The various disgraceful pieces of Official
corruption and misconduct which the intro
duction to the platform unskillfully emu
merates were detected by the press of the
country, and, whatever action the party
took, it was driven to, under the lash ofpub-
| lie criticism. No plumber has been restored
that was not absolutely wrung from the
hands of the transgressors. No official was
sacrificed whom the public indignation would
spare Williams is still attorney general.
Richardson has been promoted TO position
| in the court of claims. To say that the re-
publican party has already done full justice
: in regard to the rascalities of which its SER
wants have been proven guilty, is the most
unwise declaration that could be made
a. the present crisis even granting that the
convention believed the statement. Ii
proves that there is little hope of reform
from party that has so poor conception
OF the treatment due to knaves. IL is pretty
bold to claim credit for redressing wrongs,
which, at best, two years ago were said
to have no existence save in the
ISLANDERS of the opposition. The in
i PRODUCTION is remarkable, az contain
4 ing the following taIdy tribute to the mem
ory of the Horace Greeley, "done to death
by slanderous tongues" Speaking of the
republican party, the preamble says: sit
has so conducted public affairs that at the
last presidential election one OF the ablest
and most earnest defenders of its policy was
accepted as the democratic candidate for the
presidency" 1t might have been well to
add that it so conducted public affairs also, as
to force into the ranks OF the opposition
William II. Seward. Salmon p. Chase, and
Charles Sumner. To be forsaken by the
virtuous and noble is a strange source for
eulogy. The democrats may retort, in
their platform, that the honors are easy
since many of the most trusted ies1-
ers of the republicanism of to-day
are the deserters from the ranks OF
its own m9st desperate mercenaries, such as