The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-09-04
Eeserting TO Scarecrows.

The Republicans are exhibiting the
;nvariable sign of despair. In every
Pres dental contest when the drift of
popular sentiment seemed against
them. and the country showed de-
cided disposition to GUST them from
from power. they would resort to the
tactics of alarming the people with
searecrows and COLLINS, by picturIng
the calamlties that must follow Dem
ocratic rule. They are resorting 10
these tactics now. Usually they leave
them till the closing days of the canvass;
but the drift of popular opinion is so
clearly against them that, although the
canvass is hardly begun, they are al
ready brandishing their scarecrOws, and
Mr.. Halstead, of the Cincinnati Com
n,ercial- Gazette, has been placed at the
head of the bureau of horrors. That
enterprizing journalist, whose personal
opinion is supposed to possess peculiar
weight from the signal manner in which
it has been repeatedly falsiied, and who
declared in 1876 that Blaine, and in
1880 that Garfield was unit 10 be
Presidential candidate, now comes for
ward to picture the disasters which will
attend the election of Cleveland and
HendrickS-twO men remarkable for
their discretion and conservatism. The
Democrats, he saws, will add to their
1913 Southern Electoral votes TWO States
repres anting Mechanism and Mormon
ism-New Mexico and Utah; and the
whole civil-service army Will be used
with relentless despotiSm in the party.
Each great Democratic city with gar
rison of Federal Office holders will be
strength ened for works not good, and
the combined forces would hold the
70 is for the bonanZas contained in them
for an indefinite period. 1t is into this
prom sed land of fraud and violence
that those who are abusing the very
name of reformers are leading"
The most curious feature of this SOL
emn warning is that it comes from a
party that is the first in the history of
the country TO organize and tolerate
colossal official rings and cOnSpiracieS
in the very departments of the Govern
ment for purposes of robbery-a party
from whose Joins sprung the whisky
ring and the star-rOute ring; party
whose Cabinet officers have gone TO
Washington poor, and left office rich:
the list of whose eminent Senator's and
Representatives is list OF miliionaireS
and bond holders; which already uses
the ciyil-service army with relentless
despotism in the service of the party"
and which already makes Republican
garrison of the Federal officers in every
large city.
Every possible comparison of Demo-
cratic rule with Republican rule dem
onstrates the falsity of the HalStead
prediction. Every such comparison is
in favor of the Democracy. 1t was the
Democratic House of 1875 that broke
the reign of extravaganza and jObbery
which had prevailed at Washington UNI
der the Republicans, and introduced
the policy of reduction of taxation and
expenditures and that in spite Of the
determined opposition of the Republic
an leaders. 1t was three Democratic
Governors of New Iork-Tilden. Rob
insOn and Cleveland-who inaugurated
the era of reform in that State. Under
Republican rule the Southern States
were wallowlng-groundS of prOtigacy
and debauchery: under Democratic rule
their Governments have been admins
tered with decency and economy.
The Democratic States of New Jer-
sey, Delaware. Maryland, Missouri,
Tennessee and Kentucky are quite as
free from corruption and fraud this day
as the Republican States of Massachu-
sets, Maine, Pennsylvania, Illinois and
Iowa. The last three Democratic
Speakers of the House, Kerr, Randall
and Carlisle. were quite as clean-hand-
ed, to say the very least, as the last
Republican Speakers, Coltax, Blaine
and Keller; and Tilden, Cleveland,
Bayard, Thurman, Pendleton, Hamp-
ton and Carlisle are as free from sus-
picion of venalty as Sherman, Blaine,
Elkins, Dorsey and Kellogg. In short,
Judging from the character of the men
who would direct the Government I'M
der Democratic restoration, and the
honorable specimens OF Democratic
rule we have had at Washington and in
the States in the last ten years, there
are reasons for believing that the cleo
ton of Cleveland would inaugurate an
era of purer and better administration.
st. LOutS Republican.