The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-10-04
There Must and Shall Be a Change.


For the past ten years the people
have wanted to change the Admins
tration. For that length of time they
have been weary of Republican mis-
rule and DESTROYS of getting rid of it.
Why have they been unable to do so?
In 1872 the Democrats committed
the blunder of nominating Horace
Greeley for President. At that time
the country would gladly have released
itself from Grantism, but the opposi-
ton was speedily seen to be farcical.
The election was carried by the Repub-
icans by default. The popular vote
for Grant was 1887, 900, and for
Greeley 2,S34,00O. The Democrats re-
Trained from voting. This is shown by
the fact that in the next election at
which the opposition to Republicanism
could show its strength-the Congress
ional election of 1874-the Democrats
elected nearly two-thirds of the mem
bers of the House of Representatives.
After 1872 came the Congressional
elections of 1874, 1876, 1873, 1880 and
1882 and the Presidential elections of
1876 and 1880.
In all of these the people expressed
their determination that the Republic
ans should yield up the power they had
welded SO long, and that there should
be change.
In 1874 the people elected Demo-
cratic House of Representatives. 1t
was all they could then do towards a
change.
In 1876 the people elected Mr.. Til
den President over Hayes by a popular
majority of 100000. They then as they
supposed, secured a change.
In 1876 the people also elected DEM
ocratic House of Representatives to sup
port their Democratic President.
Mr.. Tilden was cheated out of the
office-the Presidency was stolen for
Hayes, and the will of the people was
defeated.
In 1873, on the heels of the Presi-
dental fraud, the people again elected
Democratic House of Representatives.
They determined that there should be q
change.
Then came 1880, when the Republic
ans purchased the Presidency they had
stolen four years before and defeated
General Hancock and the will of the
people by the power of ''crisp and new
twO-dOllar and five-dOllar bills, which
fell like a shower from heaven"
In 1882 the people once more swept
away the Republican spoilsmen and
elected Democratic House of Repre-
sentatives. They again demanded a
change.
What will the people do in 1884?
They will set the stamp of Reproduction
on the party which has confessed to the
purchase of the Presidency in 1884,
which asSassinated Garfield, which has
protected official dishonesty, continued
to plumber the Treasury through bogus
prosecutions, and kept all its public
thieves out of the penitentiary The
people will again demand a change, as
they did in 1874, in 1876. in 1873 and in
l8S2-as they would have done in 1880
but for the heavenly shower from the
Star-route clouds. The question is, can
they get the change they want?
VIII the oligarchy maintain its pre-
scriptive right to office growing out of
long possession and again defy the pop
nlar will? Having stolen power in 1876
and purchased power in 1880, will they
peaceably yield power in 1884? Do we
still enjoy a republican form of Gov
Every citizen of the United States is
interested in deciding now and forever
whether the people rule, or whether the
party rules and shall indef-
nitely continue itself in Office Every
Democrats in the cry: There must and
81 n II he o channn IN Y unrLA