The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-08


last Legislature vote for it. II is worse than
folly to expect honor among such men. There
is nothing they would hesitate to commit that
would lead them to the realization of their de-
sires. Already this has been made plain, aft
er the attention of the people had been called
to the probability of some such scheme.
a free ballot since the election that will send
the guilty parties to the penitentiary if justice
be done them. In this city there have been
crimes against the election laws that have
never been surpassed anywhere outside the
bloody solid South. Under the leadership and
inspiration of "Sim7 Coy, man who has no
respect for the law beyond the desire to escape
the penitentiary there have been committed
acts In violation of law on this fundamental
point that cannot be tolerated without destroy
ing all hope of anything like honest elections
in the future. Before, and during, and since
the election his followers have done
everything they could devise to corrupt
the election and to force result not guaran-
teed by the will of the people who cast the
ballots. They are as desperate a set of scoun-
drels as ever disgraced society and threatened
the peace of any community. The struggle
is now on between this gang and the honest
men of all parties. Let them succeed this
time, and they will be the tyrannical bosses,
not of the Democratic party only, but of all
the people. This city will be at the mercy of
the fellow whose saloon is open at all hours of
the day and night in fragrant defiance of the
law. If there be a Democrat wanting office
he must crook his knee to this god of corrup-
ton. The honest and respectable elements
Of that party will be cast into the shade, and
their influence will be entirely destroyed if
in this struggle between free elections and
frauds concocted and directed by this man he be
allowed to succeed. Already he is defiant of all
restraint, and in moments of his exutation,
when he temporarily succeeds in perfecting
his rascally schemes, he is bold enough to
announce his determination to carry his swim
die through in utter disregard of all laws
that have been passed for the protection of
the ballot and the assurance of a fair and free
election.
These are the elements that the voters of
Indiana have to contend with. The ques-
ton now is not who is elected, but who
shall exercise the right of electing. The
gerrymander, arranged under the direction Of
these same men, was intended to disfranchise
the majority. There was no way of disguis
ing this ugly fact and the result was that
there were enough honest voters ia the State
to defeat the scheme in the State at large and
in the Legislature, if justice be done. Now,
these same fellows conceive that they can
make good the failure of their first attempt to
swindle the people by changing the ballots
after they have been cast, and assume all the
powers of dictators III elections 1t has already
been shown that there is nothing they will
not attempt, unless there be enough honest
men in this community to stand between them
and their intentions. In other cities it has
been found necessary to send just such
scoundrels to the penitentiarv, and the effect
was wholesome. 1t must be done here, unless
indianapolis is ready to place her vital inter
ests in the keeping of this man Coy and his
followers. There are honest men in the
Democratic party who cannot afford to give
encouragement to him, and who must feel
the disgrace of having him at the head CT their
party management Now is the time for them
to join forces with the honest men of other
parties to down this common enemy If we
are to have honest elections, if the votes are
to be fairly cast and honestly counted and re-
turned. it is time the people aroused TO the
necessity of opposing this unprincipled man.
There is hardlya man in the city who be-
lieves he would hesitate at anything unless it
be the fear that justice would be done him.
That is just what should be DONE and must
he done if indianapolis and the State of In
diana are to hope for honest elections in the
future. The ballot must be respected, and
this cannot be insured unless honest men
band together to put down fraud without re-
gard to the politics of the man who is found
guilty. The attempt to steal members of the
Legislature is to be supplemented by another
to declare that there was no occasion for the
election of Lieutenant-gov though
there is not man in the State who for
moment thinks the question would have been
sprung had Democrat been chosen. The
men mean enough TO take part in that scheme
cannot be expected to join in the effort to
secure the conviction of men who violate
election laws, but there are enough honest