The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-09-08

IN an aggregate vote Of 2.947, notwithstanding
the influence of the university located there,
In the county Of Sullivan, the home Of John
W. Davis, the great unwashed, typical Demo
crat Of his day, who always spelled sugar
s-h-u-g-a-r, the majority against free schools
was 733, in an aggregate vote of 1,607.
This list might be greatly extended, show
ing that at that time the'rank and file Of the
Democratic party and their leaders were OPP
posed to free schools. AS above stated, the aggre-
gate majority for free schools was Is 832, though
the State was largely Democratic that year
and voted for Cass, electing a Legislature
strongly Democratic in each branch. This
anomaly is easily accounted for There
were such Democrats as Oliver P. Morton,
Charles 81. Test, Albert G. Porter Joseph A.
Wright Lucien Barbour John Petit, and
Robert Dale Owen, who were above the aver
age level of the party on all such questions,
and most Of whom became Republicans soon
after. In Wayne county, the home of Morton
and Test, the Wing majority was only COS,
while the free-school majority was 1,O73. In
Tippecanoe county, the home of John Petit,
and L. B. Stockton, the majority for free
schools was ], 967, in an aggregate vote of only
2,792, while the Democratic majority was only
254. This vote in the State was an inexpress-
ible grief to the leading Democrats, such as
John I. Robinson; Jesse D. Bright, John w.
Davis, Joseph E. Mcdonald, and the Indian
apOlis Sentinel. Speaking Of it, on the oath
Of August the Sentinel thus bewails it:
"The vote is largely in favor Of. the tax
We do not believe that it would have
been anything like what it is if the
people had voted Understandings The
law required deceptive question to
be propounded to the voters and forced
thousands to vote lie, if they voted their
true sentiments. OF course many who knew
not that the question involved the leyyinp of |
a tax voted yes, being in favor of free schools,
of course In this way thousands were |
cheated out Of their votes by the pious fraud.
We hope the people will talk to their repre-
sentatives about this matter
And the people did talk to their representa-
tives, and the law was promptly repealed at
the next session Of the Legislature, the Demo
cratic majority having been obtained largely
on its known hostility to free schools,
The first substantial victory in behalf Of
our free-school system was the incorporation
in the new Constitution Of the provision for a
Of Public Instruction as a
constitutional officer, no longer to be left to
the whims Of ignorant masses who might at
any time destroy the Office, as. the Legislature
heretofore had refused to create it. and this
was obtained only by a few Democrats, such
As Petit Owen, Pepper and Reed uniting with
the Wings in the proposition.
The stealing Of the swamp lands, and thus
robbing the school fund Of what would now
be worth at least SIC, 0O0, 900, exclusive Of i'm
was not because of hostility to
free schools, but because of the dishonesty Of
the Democrats who used to run the party in
Indiana They would have stolen themaaH
the same, no matter to whose benefit they
were to inure. But not so the hostility which
marked the party movements at every stage Of
The growth Of our excellent system under the
new conditions which the constitutional pro-
vision for State Superintendent inaugurated
For the first twenty years there was not a
measure proposed through the educational CON
ventions, or by the State Superintendents,
hat did not receive almost solid Democratic
opposition; yet little BY little the Republicans
continued to gain on them, until for nearly j
lecade the opposition has ceased, and now Mr..
Voorhees, claims the child, thus begotten, and
hus brought up, as Of exclusive Democratic :
Heavensi