The Evening critic., 1882-11-10
THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH
i'm Indfana-Prohibiti Defeated
the Republicans There-Letter
From n Member of "rhc Critic,


StnT.
Special Correspondence Of THE EvESINa CnfrIo.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND, Nov. S.-All citizens OF
Indiana are politicians. They are born with
tho curse upon thom. Tho man who lays
brick, carries the hod follows tho plow, or
hoavos coal In this State can talk politics as
nucntly or'work Us efficiently at tho bnllot.box
as Yankee prattles the merits OF his patent
churn or new.fangled folderol. II Is all
natural and requires no effort. This Is why
contested, and why tho two parties are 40
evenly matched. Indianians anticipate cleo
tlons with great interest and fight their way
through with the zeal of Turks. Thoro Is
nothing except q lynching matinee that so
strongly awakons Hoosier town rs an oloc
tlon, and on such occasions the people gener-
ally refrain from labor with wonderful scruples
ana work at tho polls or get drunk. There are
sufficient number who prefer tho latter past
time TO the former occupation, Is keep the
surging masses at the polls in a state OF per-
turbation, and the result is
Lively scenes When the Voting Be-
gins.
The proceedings yesterday wero not excep-
tions TO tho rule. The crowds at the polls were
being an abstract issue, both parties took
extra precautions to preserve order and
sobriety, with the hope OF being clever to tho
saie seemed tOI 10 emax H In his city wblthoe
politicians from every direction nockod rs
soon as the polls were closed. The. pande-
which occupied Babel, and were sufficient to
raiso Belzebub. But 10 witness n real racket
II. Is necessary TO attend q Hoosier cleo.
lion jolllncatlon-a midnight orgie, whero
thousands OF mon, boys, woman arr ogii;r,iI;a
roam the streets Yelling. beating lin ems.
,o,,R Di,OwihR paTftg555' or ringing cow-bells, and
Ms -HConflres light up tho vlcinage and
-PHacksmiths' anvils belch forth IN sweet har-
mony. The successful party In all close
counties Invariably has 1ollifcation.
The Republican Defeat.
Republican leaders generally attribute the
defeat OF the party to the pending prohibition
issue. Major Jonathan w. Gordon, Colonel
Holloway, of the Times, and several other lead.
ing Republicans here, believe the Republican
State ticket would have been elected by large
majority had It not been for prohibition. Two
years ago n Republican Legislature In this
State expressed Willingness, upon tho
strength OF petitions signed by largo portion
OF prohibition TO u vote OF the people, but
neither that Legislature nor any person au-
thorized TO speak for tho party announced that
the Republican party OF Indiana favored pro-
hibition, yet the movement was started by
Republican Legislature, and 1t placed the
party under embarrassments from the outset
and II could not got from under thom.
1t may be assumed that the prohibition IS
sue, as predicted by THE CRITIC on several
occasions, lost Indiana to tho Republicans.
who say that the tide which swept over New
York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, etc., cast
n wave over Indiana, and that thore were Just
81 lDuuy ulsuhcCtcu NotcIS, uuy way, anu tntl
had there been no prohibition Issue to con.
front the party hore tho State would have gone
Democratic. In fact, there are few Repub-
licans who Will not acknowledge that there is
something going wrong and that this Is an
''ofr year" all around.
fndiana's Political Future.
talked to-day to ono OF the best-informed
Republicans of the State about tho future Of
Indiana, politically. He holds n very proml-
nent Federal ofIlco and admonished me with
uplifted hands to not mention his name. Ho
said, dejectedly:
'Indiana will 60 Democratic in 1891. wo
can arrange a perfect organization IN the
party, but there are natural and unnatural
conditions which will give tho State to the
Democracy-that is, II the National ticket Is
headed by a man like ex-senator Mcdonald, or
some other good statesman. Somehow or other
the people seem turned against us, and they
have been leaving us for year or more. Tho
reform movement Of the present Administra-
tion does the party harm. Something TO hu-
initiate the leaders and embarrass tho plat
out. Tho Democrats Will keep up the prohfbi-
tion racket two years hence, and, although wo
have the Senate, they Will keep tho House,
and, mark my word, Senator voorhees, Will
succeed himself"
There is no mistakihg the fact that tho Re-
publlcans OF the State area blue lot OF fellows
to-day. They hoped to succeed by a full vote,
but alas! tho vote was too full, and they arc
left almost without hope. The only ray OF
up the Republican household In Indiana to-
day, in view. OF 1884, is reflected from tho
hope that these sweeping Democratic victories
In hitherto Republican States may have the
effect OF solidifylng the leaders OF the National
party. CEDRIC.