The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-10
CURRENT PRESS COMMENT.

THE infor1ner has not yet made his appearance to
tell the London police all about the dynamite plot.
He may be confidently expected, however, if an ex-
plosion serious enough to constitute a capital offense
should take place, and the police should pounce upon
a dozen persons against whom there was a reasonable
suspicion. The indiscreet cOnspirator is often as good
as an informer, and he has kindly put the police in
possession of the information that it is intended to
celebrate st. Patrick's Day by a series of murders.
New York Times.
AMERICAN citizens who deem themselves too re.
spectacle to approach the ballot-box at municipal
elections and measure strength with the corruptionists
VINO are always on hand and never fail to vete, can
only blame themselves for over-taxation and the reck.
less waste of the public funds. 1t is about time that
the responsibility theory were put away and that the
highest responsibility of our cities should grid them.
selves for the battle of the ballot. The only way to
paralyze bad ballotsis to multiply the correcting en-
ergy of the good "ballots.-Chicago Current.
THE actors who can fill the spheres of Shakspeare's
creations are not many. Possibly they are among the
things that can be made, but we are inclined to believe
that, like poets. they must be born. A theory has
widely prevailed among theatrical managers that
Shakespeare plays are not popular, but we fail to
recall an instance where a good interpreter of them
has failed to reap a large pecuniary harvest. The
more correct theory i'll the premises would be that
the average level of the dramatic profession is a con-
siderable distance below their requisitions.-St. Louis
G~lobe-DemOcrat.
Northern objection to "outrages' is based on their
partisan result in preventing Republican success at
the polls; but the real reason lies deeper in the simple
fact that any government which rests on murder and
fraud must be a weak government, unable to protect
life and property, to give security TO capital, peace to
the home or profit in the market place. Such a gov
eminent may last a year, a decade, a generation; but
fall it will and must. for justice, mercy and righteous
ness are against it, God and man are opposed to it and
its ruin is rtain.-Philadelphi Press.
If the American Congress is the assembly of polit.
ical imbecility and knavery that the comments of its
own members on this sensible decision the legal-tender
case of the court make tiff the celebrates are also
the aggregations of rogues or fools that these confess
sions of their own untitness by representatives and
senators imply-if the saving of the country from DO
1;4ioal nap1itipn danaD1S on plaeipp the dacidtp~ popyap
over political questions in a bench of judges, having
the function of conservators of its political fortunes
against the feebleness, insanity and raseality gifts po-
litical brains-then the sooner it goes to the devil the
better, for it is not worth savjng.-Chicago Times.
THERE is in this country a growing d~isrespect for
the diplomatic service and an increasing suspicion
that it is a costly and super1uous luxury. CONNER
cial or consular agencies are required by a trading ma
ton like ours. We have no part, no interest in the
grave questions of statecraft in which European di-
plomatists busy themselves. If exigencies requiring
special representation from the United States should
arise, it is argued, a special envoy may do all that is
needed of a minister plenipotentiary. Latterly, she
diplomatic service of the Republic has been regarded
with growing disfavor. The Berlin incident will serve
the useful purpose of giving another shock to a we'll
nigh obsolete institution.-New York Times.
THE liquor dealers are providing trouble for them
selves when they allow their organizations to repre-
sent them before the people Of Ohio as unanimous for
unrestricted and unregulated traffic in all intoXicants,
and to thrust their business into politics. The vehe-
ment public sentiment against the liquor traffic arises
in part from public resentment of the uses of saloon
ORGANIZATIONS IN pOIJltSs n d nuIubeF y Il pbESOuS
do not believe in the practicability of prohibition, and
do not want to be bothered with a perpetual ~jamboree
about it, and yet they will not tolerate the liquor deal
ers as political bosses. The immense vote for prohi-
bition was not cast exclusively, or even chiefly, by be-
levers in the efficacy of prohibition-but there was a
public passion TO strike a class that had been agrees
i've as a class. Why not take noticel-Cincinnati Com
mercial Gazette.
NOBODY who is we'll versed in the methods of cleo
lions in cities can be ignorant of the important part
the hoodlum element plays in ward politics, nor how
inevitableit is that every large city must have repre-
sentatives of this element occupying seats in the State
Legislature. 1t is the element through which gamb'
age to control political conventions, run primary meet
ings and carry city elections. In politics it is the NOV
able clement. bound by no party tie and able to trans,
party to the other, as desired, whenever the sport
ing fraternity really organize for the frs9y. Ihst !
ard fhat Il noa,ssses a power for evil much greSter
than might be supposed from its numbers is to Do
feared.-St. Louis RepublcaS'