The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-24
why indiana Is ) Close state.

To tho Editor OF the Indianapolis Journals:
Il am not prepared to admit that Indiana is a
Democratic State, but viii admit that perhaps
this State has larger reliable Democratic vote
in proportion to its voting population than
Ohio; and, as a prelude, I am frank to
say that am as much surprised as my friend
Turpin, that it is even as strongly Demo
cratic as it is, for cannot understand why
an intelligent and weIl-informed man,
who has resided in Indiana for the last
thirty years, should be an advocate of the teach.
ings and doctrines of Democracy as it has been
taught within that time; yet recognizing the fact
that many who have been residents of the State
during that time, some of whom are intelligent
are Democrats, let us see if we can account
for it, and while do not profess to be able to
master the entire problem think part of the
causes thave produced this condition of affairs
is within the grasp Of the writer Most of the
original settlers of Indiana unlike the State Of
Ohio) are immigrants from the States of Ken
lucky, Tennessee and Virginia, with quite a
sprinkling from the State Of North Carolina
However, will say that a large majority of the
people now residents Of this State who were
from the latter named State are Republicans, and
for the truthfulness of this proposition
have only to refer you to the coun-
ties Of Wayne, Hendricks and Hamilton,
whore original settlers were largely from North
Carolina. Those who emigrated from the other
States named to this State are divided into
two classes the most numerous, however, be-
longing towhat was known in that day as ''the
poor white trash of the South who were unable
10 compete with slave labor, and who had no
social standing in the States of which they were
then residents, because of their poverty, and
49, LII. - Al.
to seek home in a section Of the Union where
the blighting influence of slavery did not extend
This class were largely Democratic prior. to their
eoming to Indiana. The other class of emigrants
tslligence and property. and were Wings in their
political affiliations and upon the dissolution Of
that party, and the organization of the Repub-
Ican party, many Of this latter class drifted into
the Democratic party, and have, from
that time until the present, been active in the
support Of the doctrines of that party, the causes
that drove them to that party being, in my opin-
ion, the position Of the Democratic party on the
slavery and the liquor questions, most all of both
classes referred to by me as coming from the
States of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia be-
ing open and avowed advocates of free whisky
and understand that it is the boast of the DEM
ocratic party of Indiana that it has been the
champion of free whisky from the time when
Take these two classes of emigrants from the
South with their sons and grandsons and You
will End large majority Of them voting the
Democratic ticket, and it to day constitutes
nearly onehalf of the votes of the State. may
say more than one-half in the counties giving.
large Democratic maiorities.
am surprised to know that is the case. Why
men who were driven from their native land
because Of the existence of slavery, and were
compelled to seek home in the wilds and
swanlps Of Indiana. and undergo All the priva-
tons of frontier life as it then existed, in order
that theirchildren and their ehildren's children