Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-11-13
Why !?

Ol0 CluGllou, "u6u LIZ lOlCcu lStOl "
eat his lssk. and we may add, and sc
there be. What are the Occasions and
causes why and wherefore" OF the dem.
ocratic defeat? They were many, and
they are moi hard to find. The Intel
l~igsncer cannot say, Il told you So"
because 1t did not. Though causes were
a. plenty as h%ucklsberries, we still
thought that the business OF the demo.
cratic cause, and the %cleanness OF the
democratic candidate would bring the
party success despite mistakes. 1t is
easy to have what old.fashioned. hard
sense has denominated .'hindslght''-
much easier than to have foresight. and
the Il told you so" idiots are generally
not slow in trying TO prove by the one
that they have had the other. Nothing
could be more futile than such assump-
ton, but to review the field. to see in
the light of history the causes OF dlsas-
ter, to record these. and to remember
them. that they may be avoided in the
future. is the part OF wisdom.
First, though. let it be understood that
netting 10 the record of the demo-
cratic candidate tended toward defeat.
HIS name was a tower oil strength. His
fame was something to be proud oil
His honor was and IS as unsuliied as a
mantle of newly fallen snow. His ut
teranees, 50 far as constitutional rights
were concerned. might be attributed, in
clsarnsss and patriotism, to George
Washington hInsslt.
The frat blow at democratic success
this fall was struck, ovsr a year ago, by
John Kelly and Tammauy Hall in de-
feating Gov. Robinson. and turning the
state of New York ovs to the republi-
cans. There is no sort OF doubt that
New York, left to Its own impulses. un-
swervsd by t%raficking politicians. is
democratic. This was proven in the
very election which placed a republican
in its executive char, and gave him, for
three years. the power of the patronage
Of the empire state OF the union. When
all personal differences should have
been laid aside for the welfare Of the
party, they were permitted to ovsrshad-
ew everything else. Mr.. Kelly, a man
who has never yet carried Now York
state. IN his hatred tor MIR. Tilden, who
has twice carried it by large majorities.
suffered his vanity and arrogance to
cause the humiliation of his party.
Next in the order of patent mistakes
was the management in Indiana regard.
lns the constitutional amendment. The
people at a previous election had voted
for and carried an amendment to the
state constitution, doing away with the
October election for state officers. 1t
was a righteous decision, and should
have been left undisturbed, but Mr..
Hendricks friends. desiring to further
his chances for nomination, by exalting
the Importance of his state, brought such
Il pressure to bear on the supreme court
of the state, that this amendment was
declared by that court to be %unconstitu-
tionai. and the usual election in October
was ordered to be held. The Indiana
delegation went to Cincinnati. They
made a stubborn fight for Dir. Hen
dri~ks-sulking when they found he
could not be named, and refusing to
Vote for any n else. Mr.. Hendricks,
too great to accept the vics-presidency,
1t was rendered, at Senator McDonald's
request, to Mr.. English, whom nobody
OF this generation knew, and, as il in
irony oil the traditions of the democratic
party, = national banker. All this was
bad. but it might have been retrieved.
Gen. Rancock's name was received with
acclaim ; accessions came to him every
where, when suddenly the democracy
was alarmed to hear that Mr.. Hendricks
was sulking in his tent. The enemy
made every possible use OF the constitu-
tional amendment question, and OF the
engagements OF the democratic chief
tsins. To put the cap sheaf upon this
stack Of troubles, there had been nomi.
mated for governor a good enough, but
coarse, llliterate man, who had once CO.
quoted with tho gresnbacksrs to such an
extent az to win . nomination from them,
which he had refused. The gallant
democracy of Indiana was dismayed and
demoralized. The enemy was selt-pois-
ed, we'll led and aggressive. Finally. when
too late, an insulting editorial in Mr..
News paper stuug Mr.. Hendricks into
action, and, like an aroused lion, he
sprung from his lair, and made his eel
ebrated Indianapolis speech. But alas,
democratic d~lsssnsion and republican
money and discipline and imported votes
had decided tho battle. October came,
and with it came the terrible blow of Por-
ter's election. The weak began to wa
yer, and the prestige was all with the.
republican party.
In the meantime in New York city,
where John Kelly had promised an in
creased majority if any other than Til
den was nominated, Tammany and Irv-
ing Halls, instead OF coming to an i'm
mediate understanding, washed their
dirty linen in public clear through the
whole campaign, and only finally agreed
by naming a ticket which displeased
and drove away the independent voters
to such a degree that 1t only escaped de-
ieat by a scratch. Whether there was a
direct sell.out or not on Mr.. Kelly's
part. the effect of his contumacy and
strife was to lose New York city, and
with it the election OF Hancock.
OF amistake made by the candi-
date we speak with pain. A brave,
honorable, chivalrous soldier, Gen.
Hancock wrote as he thought. But.
reared as he had been in an atmosphere
of protection, he was not fully en- ra-
porte with the democratic party on the
tariff, and his letter on that subject was
unwise and unfortunate. We do not
upbrafd him with his act. We believe
it to have been inspired by the bsst oil
motives, and to have been the ingenu.
onz nttorapoa of a hart unnapd tn con-