The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-11
A POINT TO BE KEPT IN VIEW.

country and the State. If men are to be
elected by methods that will not square with
| honesty it is not to be expected that honest
men will be elected. Disreputable methods
are certain to result In the promotion of dis
reputable men. More than that If question
| able methods are to be winked at, the people
need expect nothing else than that question
able men will come to the front and take
charge of the public interests One trick sue
ceeding encourages the preparation of an
other, until at last the rule of action in cleo
! tons becomes one that honest men cannot in
| dorse. This has come to such pass that it
has been found necessary to enact laws regu-
lating these things. And even this is not
enough, for, as in the present instance, aparty
has so distorted the purpose of the law, that
the entire State Of Indiana has been so appor-
| toned that a minority arrogates to itself to
take the State and its interests in charge, in
defiance of the will of the majority, which
the organic law intended should rule. This
is q wrong that the Democratic party knows
cannot be defended, and as the best apology
for it it is driven to saying, "You did the
same" This is no defense at all, for as we'll
might the average Democrat continue to go
to mill on horseback with stone in one end
of the sack to balance the corn in the other,
because his father did so in days gone by.
4 Tha IF +bo Sc nj Lo&&
things. The Republican party never apollo
| gized for anything by saying Democracy had
| done the same. It has ever been the ambi-
ton and pride of that organization to do mrch
better than Democracy does. Gerrymander-
| ing, whether by Republicans or Democrats, is
not what the people want. Right at this time
there is the best of reasons for opening the
books of the Democratic State Treasurer
| There have been charges of crookedness, and
it has been shown that things have been done
| by that official that have not been in accord
ance with the law. But the gerrymander
reaches still further, and sends to Washington
delegation that may be wholly at variance
with the wishes of the majority in this State
While other States are represented in the
halls of national legislation by mon elected by
majorities, Indiana under the present ar
| rangement Of the legislative and congressional
districts, is represented by men elected by a
minority. If Democrat is sent up from In
diana in the place Of the Hon. Benjamin Har-
rison, he will 60 as the representative of the
minority; and because the Hon. Benjamin
Harrison and his friends dare protest against
this thing the Democratic party make merci
less war upon him. and the taunt is flung out
that Republicans did wrong in the past, and
now the Democratic party intends to deliber-
ately do the same.
We mistake the temper of the voters Of In
diana if this thing be not rebuked, as it de-
serves to be. When is the reform to come if
not now, or is the State to be cat-hauled from
one side to the other indefinitely, 70 the
injury of the State and all its interests?
What has become Of the boasted spirit of re-
form that the Democratic party has made
such pretense of? It has been customary on
campaign dress parades for that party to in
dulge in the most comprehensive professions
of reform, everything being promised, only
asking that the Democratic candidates be
elected. It is matter Of history that these
promises have been dishonored in nearly
every instance, and in every instance where
the pledge conficted with the interests Of the
party. Now, however, arrogant in the belief
that they need not promise anything, the party
in Indiana makes no pretense of justifying the
infamous gerrymander but defantly declares
it is the intention of that party to stand by
it; and the most decent apology offered is that
''You, too did it." This plea will deceive
| nobody. It does not deceive the men who
utter it, nor the public to whom it is
| addressed. It is exactly in the same spirit
that BOSS" Tweed impudently asked of the
people of New York city what they were going
to do about it, when it was shown that he had
been plundering the city treasury. They were
aroused that time, and he was shown what
people could do when they could tolerate no
more. It will be so in this State. It is a
scandalous spectacle that the Governor of In
diana, speaking for his party, can do no better
than indorse wrong because it is charged that
the Republican party did something like it in
the remote past The issues of this campaign
are on the future policy of the State. The ques-
ton is, what shall we the people, set up as
rule of action9 Shall we indorse this gerry.
mander because it is charged that once on
time the Republicans did something of the