Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-04-07
A TERRIBLE LAND SLIDE.
The "Citizens'" Party of Chicago
Ferevsr Disappear from
Public View,
Under Crushing Majority OflO, 900
for the Democratic Ticket.
An UuscrupulOus War Waged,
and its EGects.--UpOn the
Wrong Party.
Special coTTospOndenoe Public Ledger.

ton. ms caused the disturbance.
I'll tell you all about it. Some weeks
ago the wise heads of what is called
the Republican party of this city got
together and commenced planning
how to capture the Democratic strong.
hold. 1t was agreed to subsidize some
of the newspapers and enlist several
of the gullible divines in TRADE
against the administration OF Mayor
Harrison. This despicable programme
was perfected, and the ball opened
brilliantly, but UNANIMOUSLY. The press
at once teemed with the villainous
utterances of the schemers and plot.
tiers; orators rallied and vaunted; the
pulplters forgot their divine Office and
turned politicians and de6led their
sacred edifces by the utterances of
the basest talsehOods, until it was
made to appear to their own entire
satisfaction that Mayor Harrison had
turned our splendid commercial me-
tropohs and magnificent city into
vast Pantheon OF the blacklist vice,
and that at no late date, if lett in his
keeping, it would meet the fate OF
Sodem and Gomorrah. While this
villaino1s programme was being played
by these base tools, the grand moguls
we're at work perfecting plaa of
campaign and selecting a candidate
aud party name sufficiently to guar
antee victory. The Citizens ticket
was hoisted as their banner, and Mr..
Eugene Carey, an insurance man, and
formerly a Nashville, Tenn, Judge.
the man to wear the Mayors toga.
Other gentlemen OF respectability
we're also induced to enter
the lists. This was the star chamber
proceeding Of the remnant of the once
boasted Spartan hosts Of the Chicago
Republicans. This was the forlorn
hope OF that invincible band now going
to destruction in a cloud of inlamy.
The banner was hoisted and the gauge
of war defantly thrown down to the
Democratic party. In the meantime
the Democrats had organized, and,
against his express desire, renomina-
ted Carter H. Harrison to be his own
successor for a third term. Then the
fight commenced in earnest The
Citizens party, press, orators and pull
pits became infinitely more vindictiye
in their war of words, and virtually
said that any man countenanciDg the
HarriCon movement was a thug, thief
and gambler; and any woman
aiding and abetting was a
prostitute or cOnsorter
with that class. And on the day of
election, yesterday, their band wagons
bore the legends, Vote for decency,
and not for thugs, thieves, sluggers,
gamblers and harlots," and kindred
devices. And the evening before the
great battle of ballots, one of their
organs paraded the fact that the women
must rally to the decent" cause by
influencing their husbands and BROTH
ers, and uncles and nephews, TO vote
the decent ticket, and thereby save
themselves the modification Of know
ing that these dear male relatives of
theirs would have the opportunities
that at present existed OF hearing all
that was villsinouslySSbsd. And, last
Sunday, in at least four pulpits, this
horrible refrain was kept up. In fact.
the condition of our city was made to
appear BY these disgraceful har
lequins, and the press, and
the bowling orators, as the
most corrupt and licentious that ever
cursed the earth To a stranger in
our midst the spectacle must have
most appalling. In the
meantime the Democratic party had
gathered its forces we'll in hand, and
when yesterday arrived was ready and
anxious for the fray. The rest is soon
told. All day yesterday the decent"
party used every Gevioe known to
infamous intrigues to carry the city
by storm. Their bands played. their
infamous devices were displayed. their
money was used, their strikers moved
everywhere, the challengers Obstructed
and everything possibly was done for
victory. But, alas, for human calcu
lations and expectations, their her.
culean efforts failed. When the sun
sunk low over our beautiful but de
famed city the forlorn hope Of the
decent" party had sunk deeper
still, never to rise again.
beneath the banners of Democracy:
and Hon. Carter H. Harrison was
elected his own successor by over
10000 majority, and with him the en-
tire Democratic ticket, the grandest
victory ever won by any party in Chi.
cago. The moral is this: That either
the decent" party's press, pulpit.and
orators foully slandered this people
or else this grand victory has proven
their assertions more than correct
that our city is one of the most sinful
under Gods sun. 1t is more than
likely that the Villainous programme
OF the "decents" disguised intelli>
genee to such an extent as to draw
from the ranks of the Republicans
those who swelled the Democratic
majority to such colossal proportions
Certainly, if Mr.. Harrison's admin.
istration had been so bad and the
city so wicked, and God was on
the side Of the just, the cause of the
"decents" must have prevailed. Be
this as it may, it does not alter the
10000 Democratic majority, nor the
great significance Of the glorious
victory, The secret Of all this
decent" God and morality, high
license reform party business is this:
The Republicans, under this decent
party guise, wished to capture the city
for other purposes. What are they?
you ask. Remember that in 1884 we
are to elect another President. Con.
sequently they wanted the use of the
city for the occasion; or, more cor.
rectly stating it, the city's machinery.
IN this and khary