The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-31

legislator, some years ago he had voted for
some amendment to the railroad law which
was to secure the public against acknowl-
edged wrongs, and he had fallen thirty-five
thousand below his ticket and thus been de-
feated, would it be any difficult matter to
most signally rebuke the railroad monopo-
lies and bring them to a sense of the fact that
the legislation of this country can not be
dictated by class? Yet this liquor league
has its hands on the politics of every State
and of every municipal corporation. 1t die
tateS candidates and then dictates legislation,
and holds its rod in terrorem over those who
are to execute the law. This state of affairs
cannot continue, and whatever party puts
itself ell rapport with the growing and al
ready ripe public sentiment on this question
must win. But win or not such arrogance
must be resisted.
And now comes the Mormon question. No
temporizing policy has heretofore availed
anything. The crime of polygamy must
not remain, and such a rebellion against the
government as is ripening in Utah should
be crushed out at once, if it takes the entire
army of the nation to do it. The people will
heartily sympathize with and support any
political organization that proposes earnest
measures for at once settling this question.
But who and what party shall do it2 Ger
tainly the Democratic party will not Its only
80 al = !,
and nothing makes the South solid but the
shotgun. This work is legitimately the work
of the Republican party. 1t is the compile
ton of long series of great deeds under
taken and successfully accomplished so far.
Shall the party complete the series and give
freedom of speech and a free ballot to white
and colored alike in the land reclaimed
from rebellion?
The Journal is unalterable in its opinion,
so often expressed, that temperance is not
and cannot properly be matter of parts an
political action, but the existence of a
political force controlled by millions of
money, which assumes to dictate State and
municipal policy on question which has
been a subject of legislation for centuries, is
quite a different thing 1t is a force in
sympathy with nothing that is American. 1t
cares not copper for banks or tariffs, or
revenue, or finance, or schools, or roads, or
any other thing. 1t stands with its giant
power, and knows nothing but its own in
terest. The people would cry out against
banks, or railroads, or manufactures, or
churches if either should make a similar
combination, and would say that the party
that hopes to win must throttle it.
AS to the Mormon question: let no one be
deceived by assuming that it has no friends.
A political party that will connive at the
shotgun policy of the South and avail itself
of its fruits-that everywhere covers before
the liquor league, and makes its aims it's
own-will not stop at anything. No one
doubts that if the Senate to-day were Demo
cratic, and Democrat was in the executive
chair, Utah would be admitted as State
before the next presidential election. From
this standpoint alone comes voice calling
upon the nation to keep the Democratic
party out OF power until the political power
of Mormonism is broken, and the disgrace
Of polygamy forever washed away. Butno
mandy PANTY canvass will be effectual. Let
the Republican party be foremost and
earnest in this fight against these trplets of
evil, not forgetting to hold fast whereunto it
has already attained on other questions.