The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-15
THE CAMPAIGN IN OHIO.
The Situation in Hamilton County
from the Regular" Standpoint.
CIR. Pendieton's "Bossism" in the Reform
Movement-Republican Success As
sured by the Split.
Correspondence of the Indianapolis journal

IneII Oh the real SITUATION at present, anu
the circumstances which have led to the
present condition, must be of interest to
every one. 1t is admitted that the regular
party machinery called the convention
which met at the Highland House on the
18th of August. There is no dispute about
this fact. There were several interests which
desired to preponderate in the convention,
and of course these interests were hostile.
That Mr.. Pendleton desired full Pendleton
legislative ticket no one will deny. Ger
tainly Mr.. Pendleton will not, cannot deny
this fact for if he did there would be no oc-
casion for another county ticket. The pro-
prietor of the Enquirer, Mr. J. r. Mclean,
came home from the State convention
pledged to General Durbin Ward for senator.
The Enquirer, as a newspaper, was entirely
neutral, and whatever its owner did in order
to secure friendly delegates TO the conven-
ton was done as an individual. He did pre-
cisely what the friends of Senator Pendletou
were trying to do. 1t would be according
him too much credit to say that by any kind
of means he could have secured nearly 400
of the delegates to that ton. But the
friends of General Ward and the active oppo-
nents of Senator Pendleton did have large
majority of the regularly elected delegates
Even to this point in the proceedings there
is no dispute. The delegates were as fairly
elected as have been those to any preceding
county convention.
The next step was the organization of the
convention. The friends of Senator Pendle-
IT.
chief, were on the ground to secure the Or
ganization for him. In this they failed abb
solutely, because majority of the delegates
were opposed to Mr.. Pendleton and knew his
friends, and would have voted them out if
they had secured every officer of the conven-
ton. When the delegates were elected all
hope of a solid Pendleton legislative ticket
from this county was gone. Unless this had
been so Mr. Pendleton could and would have
controlled the convention, and no man who
was not pledged to his support would have
been on the ticket.
The friends of Senator Pendleton seem to
overlook the fact that there are other prom
ipent men in the Democratic party in Ohio
who have the right to be candidates for
think that the Senator has a mortgage on
the party whenever in power. With this
idea in view, they are unwilling that any
Democratic ticket shall succeed which is not
absolutely pledged to him. If this is not
political bossisnl, it is hard to define that
modern political term. Therefore, Mr.. PEN
dleton and his friends have seen proper to
place a ticket of their own in the field,
under the title of "the Reform Democratic
ticket" They cannot claim that their con-
vention was called by authority of the party
laws, or was in any manner regular and
they can only claim that they want
ed ticket entirely friendly to
Mr.. Pendleton, and which in
the event of party success would vote for his
return to the Senate. This, and this only,
can they claim, unless they admit that they
have nominated a ticket only to divide the
Democratic vote and insure Republican sue
cess.
And now they demand that the ticket of
the regular convention shall be withdrawn
and new deal had all around. But they
offer no security that in case they should fail
they would not repeat the boiling game
They know that they have a right to leave
the party if they object to its methods, but
they ought to know that they have no right
to destroy. or attempt to Destroy its organic
alton by the means they have adopted. If
they desire the success of the Republi-
can ticket, they have the moral and
legal right to vote for it, but they have no
moral or political right to attempt to accom-
plish that object by false pretenses. 1t will
hardly be regarded as their right to destroy
the party whenever they cannot dictate who
shall be its official representatives 1t may
be that they have the power to defeat the
parry in this county with their reform
ticket if their terms are not agreed to, but
certainly fair-minded men will not approve
such plan in party which claims that the
majority should rule.
The Democratic county ticket which was
nominated by the regular convention is a
fairly good one, largely above the average
for many years past, aud its legislative
members are not pledged to any man
for any office, nor are they pledged
against any man. If Mr.. Pendleton has so
little confidence in his own strength that he
wants a Legislature pledged to him in adj
vance of the election, then he should with
draw and take with him his ticket which he
expects to reform" him into the Senate. A
decent regard for their own integrity, if
nothing else, ought to. and no doubt will,
compel the members of the regular ticket to
remain before the people. To Withdraw
would be to admit the foul ISLANDERS showered
upon them ever since the convention by the
friends of Mr.. Pendleton who have the IRE
form" dodge In charge, and no man who
respects his good name would put himself in
that position,
The foregoing statement is an unbiased
array of the facts. And to them may be
added that they have so combined other cir
cumstances in the campaign that there is no
longer any doubt of Republican success in
this county Neither ticket will be with
drawn, and the nomination OF third one as
now proposed by the News Journal will only
add to the existing confusion. The Demo-
cratic tickets have all come to stay until
election day. and then they will disappear
forever.
The Democratic press of the State has been
trying to divert attention from the real is
sues by claiming that Goynrnnr Foster is the