The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-03
THE BANQUET TONIGHT.

spread before them will, no doubt, be abund-
ant and toothsome and we hope our Demo
cratic friends will have the appetite to enjoy
the feast.
The congregation of the Democratic editors
in this city has purpose-to boost the Nc
Donald boom. The ex-senator is billed for
speech, and nothing could be more natural
than to follow the speech with an Endorsement.
That resolutions have been prepared and will
be offered this evening, indorsing Mr.. Nc
Donald for President, we make no doubt.
That they will pass we feel assured but that
they will voice the sentiment Of the
masses of the Democratic voters of the
State may not be so certain. Mr.. Mcdonald
is not beloved by his party friends in Indiana;
he is respected, but not loved. The love of
the Democratic masses of the State, as has been
often shown, goes out to one now beyond
the seas. The presence of that one always
raises cheers; the presence of Mr. Mcdonald
is uniformly met with silence Those who
were at the last Democratic convention in
this State will not forget the difference be-
tween the treatment of the two. Hosannahs
for the one; respectful silence for the other.
The Sentinel, of this city, has for some
time been trying to unite its party friends in
support of the candidacy of Mr.. Mcdonald
Whether its influence has been sufficient to
bring majority of its Democratic contem-
pora1ies into line remains to be seen. 1t is
well known that many of the leading Demo
cratic papers of the State favor the nomina-
ton of Tilden and Hendricks, The New Al
bany Ledger, foremost among the ablest-con-
Quoted papers of its party in the, State, is un-
equivocally opposed to Mr.. Mcdonald. It's
neighbor, the New Albany Press, is for the
old ticket. Mr. John B. Stoll, Of South Bend,
the conductor of three papers, is for Tilden
and Hendricks. So are numerous other
leading Democratic editors of the State Some
of them will be at the banquet tonight,
but whether they will have the virtue to oppose
resolutions favoring the Mcdonald boom re-
mains to be seen. They should have the cour-
| age of their well-known convictions. They
will hardly remain silent while the knife is
| being put to the vitals of their favorite. They
know that if the Democracy of Indiana could
the man; that his name would be Hendricks,
The support of Mr.. Mcdonald by the Indi-
annapolis Sentinel is an anomaly. Its love for
him is newly born. In an article reviewing
the campaign of 1876 it never once mentioned
his name. But of Mr. Hendricks it said:
wherever he went the people focked to hear
him. and such ovations as he received were
never given man in Indiana before. Next
to Governor Hendricks, the two most convinc-
ing speakers on the Democratic side were
Daniel W. Voorhees, and George w. Julian.
In addition to Hendricks, Voorhees, and Julian,
the Democratic central committee had in the
field many speakers Of distinction" but among
them Mr.. Mcdonald was not named. The
Sentinel was right, then, as historian. Mr.
Mcdonald bore quite an insignificant part not
of 1878 and $780, He made but few speeches
during these campaigns, and these few were
by no means successes as popular addresses.
1t is fact that no Democrat will deny, that
more than once the Democratic State central
committee was compelled to withdraw his APP
pointnents after they had been made. This
ic 10 Il of NJ
Donald, nor to the depreciation of his I'M
doubted strength with his party outside of his
own State; but the fact is Indispensable that
he is one of those prophets who are not with
out honor save in his own country, while he
may well pray to be delivered from such
friends as have essayed to manage his political
advancement in Indiana They have been
blunderers from the beginning and are
in no sense proper opponents of either Mr.
McDonalds ability or character.
The meeting of the Democratic editors to-
day and the banquet at the Grand Hotel to-
night will not advance Mr.. McDonald's polit-
ical interests. The getters-up of the banquet
are not the men to do him good. In their in
vitations they have ignored many Democrats
who give the party tone and responsibility,
and particularly have they ignored such as
they thought could by their courage and in
fuence, prevent the programme of boosting
Mr.. Mcdonald from being carried out. The
men thus passed by will be felt at the next
have engineered the banquet may be inAuen-
tial in ward politics. but their influence is
infnitesimal in that of the State. They are
not big enough to spread over so much