The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-30

made to lowering the national flag in honor of
professional assassin, in the person of Jacob
Thompson, have had the effect Of arousing a
storm of indignation among his admirers and
champions. The fact that he was connected
with the plot to spread plague and contagion
among the people, to burn cities and murder
the defenceless inhabitants, does not lower him
in the esteem of those who hoped he would
succeed. The Endorsement given this man by
the Democratic party simply reaffirms the
traditions of treason and infamy that have
been an essential element Of Democracy
since the days of jackson. The ST. Louis
Post-Dispatcha anticipated therighteous protest
against honoring the memory of this most in
famous man by Surprising that the Repub-
lican press would probably say, eff Thomp-
son, why not jeff Davis" and then blandly
inqcires, "Why notq" as if there could be no
possible reason for not dipping the flag when
Haute Gazette, while compelled to admit that
Thompson was very mean rebel, thinks
there was nothing wrong in draping the de-
partment and makes the specious plea that
'the honor is done to the memory of man
who was Secretary, and not to the man who
became a rebel, and expresses and was in
tended to express no opinion of his
career subsequent to his retirement from
office" Warming to its work, and animated,
possibly, by the recollections of Thompson's
gallant" effort to spread infection through
loyal homes, the Gazette exclaims: eff he
had died in the penitentary, it would have
been just the same!" This is an astounding
admission, but we are not disposed to crticise
its sincerity. There can be little doubt that
had Jacob Thompson died in the penitentiary
Democracy would have wept for him Gust
the same" By exactly the same reasoning,
the government should have ordered the Sen
ate Chamber draped on the occasion Of the death
man who had been Vice president, and with
out reference to his subsequent career; and
the standards of the army should have been
draped for Benedict Arnold in recollection of
his services when loyal and gallant general
of the Revolution.
This is a most outrageous perversion Of JUS
tice and abasement Of decency, descended to in
order to cover Democratic infamy with honor.
The question resolves itself into this Is
there any crime possible to Democrat that
will cause him to forfeit the confidence Of the
people or make him ineligible to the honors Of
the government? In the case of Jacob
Thompson it is made apparent that neither
treason, nor assassination, nor the
infamy of a plot to burn cities
and to spread contagion among the
people and soldiers of the North have, in any
degree, harmed this man in the esteem of his
fellow partisans Indeed, he might have
gone further, and become a ravisher and foot
pad, and thus earned for second time life
term in the penitentiary-'it would have
been just the same, and Lamar would have
been right in ordering season of mourning to
be observed in his honor. To what depths has
the sentiment of decency and manly
honor-to say nothing of loyalty, de-
scended, that such monstrous doctrines can
be so defantly taught What incentive to
lead lives of honor and patriotism when Thomp-
son and Davis are put on the same level
with Grant and Sheridan? If the action of
Secretary Lamar teaches anything, it is that
crime is not criminal infamy not infamous,
while treason, instead Of blemish. is vir-
tue 1t is easy to understand why in 1876,
Jacob Thompsons dastaNlly plotting
should make him popular with Democracy.
But it is not so easy to comprehend why now,
since Democracy at last gives tacit approval of
loyalty, the party should seek to drag up out
of infamy the men who were a scandal to
treason Is it the intention of Democracy to
continue to canonize traitors, simply because
treason and Democracy have long been
synonymous
That it is the intention of the party topush
ex-rebels to the front admits of no doubt. The
query of the ST Louis Post Dispatch as to
why jeff Davis should not be accorded federal
honors, is supplemented with emphasis by the
Washington Post, which thinks loyal nonsense
should nor be tolerated by the party in power
Speaking of the clerks in tho Interior Depart
ment, the Post says:
eff there are employees of that department
who join in this senseless criticism of Mr..
Lamars entirely appropriate action, there
should be no occasion for retaining them any
longer than necessary to serve them with no.
tice to quit"
That is the idea. The men who do not be-