The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-09-03

pdTIy JTUJlIUIIy pIdIIUTLII
Democratic success means. destruction of civil
service reform.
LAND GRANTS.
In 1860 the Republican party declared in favor
of government aid by donation of lands to the
construction of railroads to the Pacific coast
That same year the Democratic party declared
IN favor of the acquisition of Cuba, and was silent
as to aid to construct railroads to the Pacific.
The Republican party succeeded to power, and
laws were enacted that have given the country
our system Of Pacific railroads. binding our wide
ly-separated coasts together with bands of steel
These roads have already become great arteries
of commerce. of inestimable benefit to the whole
Nation. They could not have been built with
out government aid; the undertaking was too
great the outlay too vast for unaided private
enterprise. Many millions Of acres of land were
given in aid of these roads, But wherever the
roads have been built in accordance with the
terms of the land grants, for every acre donated
hundred acres have been brought into market
and quadrupled in value. In 1864 Thomas A.
Hendricks then United States Senator, spoke
and voted in favor of one of the largest land
grants ever voted viz; AZ 000, 900 acres granted
to the Northern Pacific railroad. Again, in 1851,
he, as United States Senator, voted for and sup
ported another of the largest grants ever made
by the government, viz: the grant to the
Southern Pacific railroad and its connections
amounting to about 30 000 900 acres of available
lands From 1872 to 1884, inclusive, the Re-
publican party has steadily opposed any further
Aduu grants. Nc pf6SeIb hepuDlICdu plutAOtLA
reiterates this opposition
FOREIGN POLICY.
The Republican party stands firmly by the
Monroe Doctrine 1t believes that our gov
eminent should cultivate friendly relations with
the nations of the old world, constantly avoid
ing all entangling alliances, and scrupulousy
refraining from intermeddling in the internal
contests and concerns of foreign nations. At
the same time it firmly believes and in
tends that foreign nations should not and must
not intermeddle in the internal concerns of the
nations of this new world, or attempt to extend
their system and dominion over any portion OF
this hemisphere. The Republican party believes
in the full protection Of American citizens,
whether they be citizens by birth or by adop-
ton, wherever they may be, whether at home
or abroad 1t believes in preventing any foreign
power from acquiring exclusive ownership, or
control, of any waterway, railway, or
right of transit across the isthmus
connecting the continents of North and South
America 1t demands the restoration of our
navy. to the end that 1t may be efficient to pro-
tect the rights of American citizens and Amerl-
can commerce on every sea, and enforce these
principles of our foreign policy, peaceably If pos
sible, forcibly if so required The Democratic
party. pretending to be in favor of these doc
trlnes, has, whenever possible, done all IN Its
power to thwart and prevent their execution
Pretending to believe in the Monroe doctrine, it
is at this critical time with regard to affairs on
the isthmuS, refusing to make appropriations
necessary for its assertion Claiming to be IN
favor of the restoration of the navy, it has per
sistently refused to make appropriations neces
sary to rebuild it, even refusing to appropriate
money sufficient to finish vessels now under con-
struction, and necessary appropriations to arm
and equip vessels already cons tructed. The Re-
publican party believes in holding close
relations with, and extending our trade
and influence among the states of South Amer
lea as the proper and natural field open to the
most valuable extension of our commerce This
particular part of the foreign policy of the Re
publican party seems distasteful to England, and
whenever England takes snuff the Democratic
party sneezes.
A FREE BALLOT.
The greatest danger now threatening the per-
petuity of our free institutions is the deliberate
and purposed suppression of a large part of the
legal vote in many of the Southern States. It's
this that has given the Democratic party solid
South. Without Free unsurpassed ballot and
an honest count republican governments worth
less. 1t is as great crime against constltu-
tonal liberty to prevent legal ballot from be-
ing deposited as it is to deposit an illegal ballot
or count ballot that never was voted! In
either case deadly blow is struck at the very
root of our government The Democratic party
declares, I'VE believe in free ballot and a fair
count. And yet, every intelligent Democrat in
the United States knows that, for many years.
there has not been free ballot and fair count
in many Of the Southern States, and they also
know that the Democratic party has prevented
and suppressed free ballot, deliberately and for
the express purpose of sitting the voice and
thwarting the will of the legal majority in those
States. The Democratic party, North and
South, well knows that, with free and unsup-
pressed ballot and an honest count not less than
five of the States of the solid South would be
strongly Republican. AS an illustration of this
wholesale suppression of free ballot, compare
the vote of two of these States. Alabama and
Mississippi for the years l872and 1880:
Aiabama- Democratic Republican.
1872 ...--..----...-....--.- 1914 90.2a2
1S8O-........--- ---..-.--- 89,92S 56,126
In 1872 the total vote was 1863, ZIG The Repub-
lican party had majority Of 10828 In $780,
eight years later, the total vote was only
lag. 054-23, 662 less than in l872-and the
Democratic majority was 80 1902, although the
total Democratic vote in 1880 was only 10, 464
votes greater than in 1872. What became of the
"a lag votes lost by the Republican party be-
tween 1872 aud l88Ol If we suppose that the to-
tai increase in the Democratic vote came from
the Republican rauks, still the question recurs
what became of the 1862 votes wholly unac
counted fort The population rapidly increased
during these eight years AID the total vote,if un
suppressed, would have been much greater than
in 1872 What became of these many thousands
of legal ballots that ought to have been voted
and counted
Mississippi Dem; Rep
1S72.......... AZ, 191 81.916-Rep. maj. 81, 725
lSS0..-.-.--. 1880 81, 654-Dem. maj. 40, 696
Here again the total vote in 1880 is 10 500 less
than in 1872, although the population had vastly
increased during the eight years. What has be-
come of these Is. SOB lost votesi The answer is
plain and perfectly understood free ballot
has been suppressed. This suppression has
been by the Democratic party To accomplish
it, resort has been had to threats intimidation,
scourgings, hangings, murders and cruelties that
would horrify savages When these have
failed to insure a sufficient Democratic
majority resort has been had to Tissue
ballots and other forms of fraud. The
massacre of Nov. g. 1883, at Danville, Va,
is an illustration of the spirit and methods Of
the Democratic party of the ''solid South The
committee Of the United States Senate appointed
to investigate this outrage after carefully exam
ing over one hundred and sixty witnesses, called
from all parties and all classes of the community
dence is entirely satisfactory-ind it is over
whelming- that it was the contamination of a
deliberate purpose, for which they had fully pre-
pared Here four unoffending colored voters