The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-26

Not Too Late.

TO the Editor Of the Indianapolis Journal
1t is not too late for the county central COM
mittes to prevent the most disastrous political
blunder of the canvass. 1t is well to have the
nominating convention next week, SO far as the
county Offices are concerned. The sooner that
agony is over the better. OF the material offer
ing the Republicans can hardly make mistake
for We have seldom had better lot to pick
FROM but not SO with the legislative ticket The
difficulty lies not in the men who are proposed
but in the fact that at no time in forty years
have the issues on which the people
are to divide next November been so
utterly chaotic, six months before the
election. The question whether this man or
that shall be Democrat or Republican will
sink into utter insignlfcance in less than 100
days. We are confronted to-day by the oncom-
ing shadow of more than one social and political
revolution which will have assumed formidable
proportions before the LIST of September, the pre-
else nature and extent of which no human sa-
gacity can foresee Men are now spoken of for
the Legislature who in one contingency would
lead the ticket; in another they would not get
the vote of one-half of the Republicans OF the
county. Why should we be handicapped by
needless haste2 Why should we find ourselves
predoomed to defeat by having even one man,
much less all of them. out of harmony with the
demands of the hourf
Two months ago it would have been con-
sdered the perfection of political wisdom to have
nominated man otherwise worthy who was in
hearty sympathy with the Knights of Labor;
two months hence if the anarchy which they
are causing continues, Knight OF Labor will
not get one-half of the vote of Marion county on
any ticket. He would damn any party by his
contact We do not wish to denounce the order
on present developments, and no man will dare
defend it if the present indications properly
interpreted Why be compelled to take sides
either way now2 Let the effervescence of to-day
subside If it can expend its force in harmless
gar, SO be it; if il must cause explosion, let
us not be in a position to be blown to atoms by
it. Four months will tell the tale
Then there is the liquor question. Two
months ago it would have been easy to name
ticket that would carry Marion county by
handsome majority had that question been left
as it then But who can foresee the political
horizon of ninety days hencei By secret cir
cuar the liquor sellers of the State are called to
secret meeting. to be held in the near future,
whose special work is to take control of the poll
tics of Indiana. Just what they will do man
can predict, and perhaps what they do when as
sembled will never be known until the blow
falls all too late to be avoided. Now the people
Of Marion county, and of Indiana as well, are in
no mood to lay their heads upon the block and
let the ak fall. Not bit of it. Though con-
cocted in secret their plans will be sufficiently
developed by the LIST of September to enable
us to take sides for or against
be with our might. If their
plans are wise and proper we must not hesitate
to defend them in our own local platform and by
the character Of our nominees. as we'll AS by the
press and on the stump; If not wise we must
oppose them. and do it vigorously, and to the
death. In our platform we must denounce them;
by our men we must antagonZe them, and by
tongue and pen oppose them everywhere. 1t is
going to be no childs play, let me tell you. We
cannot afford to have half-and-half ticket. But
hon Af Tin in
EQUITY is not yet quite full though it is filling
rapidly Give them four months more to show
their utter incompetency to run the governments.
There are thousand men in Marion
State who now demand that the
Democratic books be opened-who, two
years ago were deluded by the demagogical cry:
.'Open the books "the people want change"
They have seen enough to be ready to go back
to honesty and capability. Let this leaven work
four months more before we attempt to organ
ize to resist it. Unless the signs of the times
deceive me we will be in position by the 1st of
September to draft euch men as John M. Butler.
Albert G. Porter, A. C. Harris, Stanton j.
Peee, John Coburn, John Caven. William Wal
lace or w. Ell. Calkins, of age and expert
ence, to lead US and represent US in the crisis
that is upon us, rather than to leave the work in
the hands of men tyros, however talented and
promising These men do not want the Office,
but the Office needs them, and they dare not
say no.
We want such a selection of candidates as can
he made in separate convention by delegates
chosen the day before. to reflect the public
opinion of that hour, and selected not especially
to nominate clerk and sheriff. but to nomi-
nate men to represent them on the live issues of
the day, as they shall then be- The people will
discuss these questions this summer as never
before. Let the conclusions of their discussions
be embodied in the candidates Tor the Legislature.
Let the county committee take the responsibility
of fixing the day for this nomination. and per
haps the judicial officers, not earlier than the
middle of August nor later than the first week
in September and we will carry the county by
1900 to 1000 u. l.. SEE.