The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-19
THE DEMOCRATIC Conspiracy.

ical matters, and presumably on the 'insidev
of Democratic matters, gays in letter printed
yesterday:
'"The Lieutenant -governorship matter prom
ises to cut quite figure. General Manson
has never formally resigned as Lieutenant
| governor. 1t is held that his acceptance of
the collectorship is equivalent to formal
resignation, but that is question. Senator
Smith, however, will make fight for Lieu
tenant-governor He undoubtedly has the
law with him. The Senator has retained at
torneys and will forthwith proceed to enjoin
the Secretary of State from transmitting the
vote for Acknowledgements to the House of
Representatives, and the matter will be
brought before the Supreme Court in advance
of the meeting Of the Legislature. 1t Sen
ator Smith is declared Acknowledgements it
again opens up the fight on the senatorial
question"
This whole matter of the lieutenant-gov
ernorship reveals the depravity of the Demo
cratic party, and thecut-th throat selfshness of
the Democratic leaders. Governor Gray is
credited with the authorship of the Demo
cratic gerrymander, and as he had, in cold
| blood, stolen the senatorial nomination from
Mr.. Mcdonald in the Legislature of 1881, he
| thought he would have no trouble in enjoy
| lug the usufruct of the colossal fraud and
steal arranged to disfranchise the people of
Indiana. Everything was proceeding
smoothly for Governor Gray, until after
| the defeat of Hanlon to be collector Of in
ternal revenue when it occurred to Melon
aid and VoorI ees that they could trip the
| Governor, and so General Manson was named
for the place. Senator Voorhees, openly said
that 'there was politics in this nomina-
tion,V and everybody understood that
it was intended to cut Governor
the State would want Green Smith, who was
the President pro tenn. of the Senate, to succeed
to the office of Governor as the conspirators
then thought would be the case ut in this
play of diamond cut diamond Governor
Gray still held one more trump card, and he,
believing there was vacancy in the Office of
Acknowledgements there undoubtedly
was when General Manson qualified as col
lector--submitted the question to Attorney
general, in an opinion that fully covered the
question, declared that vacancy existed, and
that the statute provided that it should be
filed at the next general election. The Nc
DonaldVoorhees conspirators objected some.
what to the conclusion arrived at, but there
was nobody Of any standing to seriously
question the correctness of the ruling, and
so the Democratic State convention NOM
| mated John c. Nelson as a candidate to fill
the vacancy created by Democratic action.
Thus far the Democrats had had it all their
own way; the Republicans had no part in it
and paid no attention to it. When the Dem
ocrats, in State convention, recognized the
vacancy, the Republicans did the same, and
also nominated candidate for the office 1t
was at once apparent that Governor Gray's
enemies were alert and active The Repub-
licans are aware Of, and feel reasonably crate
| full for, the aid they received from the Nc
/
itcians thought it would be clever trick to
| aid in the election of a Republican
| Acknowledgements, and thus settle Gov
ernor Gray's senatorial aspirations, they never
dreaming of the possibility that the Legsla-
ture would slip away from them. They rest
ed at ease upon this point; they believed, and
| openly boosted, that no matter by what ma
jority the Republicans might carry the State
the gerrymander steal had placed the Legsla-
ture beyond peradventure. When the re-
turns came in, and it was found that the
whole thing had been lost, "hook, line, bob
and sinker," all hands turned together to see
what could be saved from the wreck. All
factions worked in harmony to steal the Leg
| islature, and when it seemed that they had
succeeded, by fraud and forgery, in secur-
| ing nominal majority of two on joint
ballot, the old factional quarrel broke
out again. Gray and his gang began to throw
doubt upon the election for Lieutenant-goy
ernor. When it was known that, at the best
for them, the General Assembly would be
tie, all the factions came together and in
chorus have been bowling that the election
for Acknowledgements must be nuilified.
When the Democrats shall discover that by
no possible means can they prevent Repub-
iican majority on joint ballot as was honestly
returned by the election, then the factions
will fall apart again, the votes for Lieutenant
governor will be accepted as they were cast,
and Governor Gray, and Mr.. Mcdonald, and
Mr.. Voorhees, will each 60 his way, ready to
renew their throat-cutting at will, when occa-