The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-28
IN DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACY.
Senator Voorhees, Gives Utterance to the
Keynote of His Party's Canvass.
lie Talks on Nearly All the Questions of the
Day, Except Temperance, and De-
clines to Discuss That.
THE DEMOCRATIC KEYNOTE.

The Democratic opening of the campaign last
night by Senator Voorhees,, at Tomlinson Hall,
brought out an audience that comfortably filled
chat popular meeting place. No effort had been
apared to get the crowd there. The workers, OF
high and low degree, were all present, and the
stage was well filled with chairs to which every
body of party notoriety was conducted. The re-
suit was stage audience of rare diversity
Senator Voorhees, was escorted to the hall by the
Hendricks and Meridian Hendricks clubs. These
organizations were given seats directly IN front
of the speaker, and for the first twenty minutes
of the speech acted as if they had been drilled
% clackers, though imperfectly, as they APP
pauded everything in season and out of season.
The Senator was escorted upon the platform by
Ed Henderson, who arranged the coal-oil lamp
on the stand and performed other kindly Offices.
Among the most prominent persons upon the
stage were David S. Gooding. DR.. Thomas Har-
rison, John e. Sullivan, Col ]. B. Maynard.
James B. Ryan, Capt John w. Dodd VIM. H.
English, W. D. Bynum, John R. Coffroth.
Adolph Seidensticker, w. r. Myers and David
Turpio.
Elk Senator Mcdonald stepped to the front.
and, rapping upon the desk with an umbrella,
called the meeting to order. He then, in less
than twenty words. introduced the speaker, who
as he came to the front, was received with great
cheering, the two clubs rising to their feet and
waving their hats, in an endeavor to incite the
gemainder of the audience to like semblance of
enthusiasm. The attempt was failure as the
remainder of the audience colby kept their
seats. Mr.. Voorhees, calmly unroled great
mass of manuscript and began to read He was
compelled to read so closely that his voice soon
assumed monotony wearying to the hearers.
At places where he seemed to know the speech
best his words overran each other In his haste.
among various manifestations of human de-
Sravity,' said Mr.. Voorhees,. beginning his
speech, there are none. perhaps, more revolving
TO an upright mind than the practice OF arraign-
ing and condemning others for sins and crimes
which the accuser himself VIGOROUSLY and habit
ually commits Nearly 1000 years ago the
Savior of mankind pointed out and rebuked
this detestable vice in tones which will never
die From the day Of the delivery of the Ser
mon on the Mount until tho present time, !
doubt if there more complete and
thorough illustration of the conduct for which
the hypocrite was there denounced by the divine
tongue than was presented by the leaders of the
Republican party in Indiana at their recent State
convention"
Mr.. Voorhees, continuing, charged that the
Republican party, loaded with the obloquy and
shame of maladministration in every department
of government "tattooed all over" with guilt
and fraud seeks to fasten upon others the stig-
ma of ''its most enormous offenses." He re
futed" the assumption in the Republican State
platform that Cleveland and Hendricks were
elected by objectionable crimes against free
suffrage, by saying they are made by that party
which ''stole the presidency of the United
States" in 1876. and that the allegation that the
success of the Democratic party is due to crimes
against free suffrage, has not vestige of proof
to rest upon. He characterized as "a colossal
libel" and mountain of calumny" the speciica-
In tha licau nj aft
that the cause of civil-service reform has, by
reason of the federal appointments made, been
brought into needless disfavor and its success
rendered an impossibility under Democratic au
spices.
Mr. VOORHEES, said that ten years ago he had
= Witnessed the arraignment OF Republican Sec
RetarY of War for alleged corruption in Office and
had heard Senator Hoar, then member OF the
House, make the following comment on the civil
service of the government: My own public
Me-" said this Republican leader of New Eng
land, "has been very brief and Insignificant
ono, extending little beyond the duration of a
single term of senatorial ofhce but In that brief
period have seen five judges OF q high court OF
the United States driven from Office by threats
of impeachment for corrupt administration. /
have heard the taunt from friendliest lips. that
when the United States presented herself In the
East to take part with the civilized world in GEN
erous competition in the arts of life, the only
product of her institutions in which she sur
passed all others beyond quss ton was her cor
ruption."
Mr.. VOORHEES, alluded to the Credit Mobiler as
the offspring of Republican cunning and avarice.
aud of the whisky ring. in which millions were
stolen aud few of the criminals convicted. 1.-THE
Republican leaders meant the civil service as a
temporary blind to last simply until point of
danger passed. when 1t was their intention
60 return, as they did. to their former scandal
GUS practices They never intended it should be
enforced. They did not have the manliness and
honesty to repeal it, they starved II to death and
left it's withered skeleton on the statute
books"
Mr.. Voorhees, speaking of the charge made
in the Republican State platform against the
Democratic party. in connection with the civil
service, that ut has scandazed justice and de-
cecancy by the methods inaugurated by the
postoflce and other departments. to distribute
Che Offices to party workers, while it sought to
placate the growing sentiment against the spoils
system by false pretenses," exclaimed as fol-
lows:
Party workers ineligible to office! Party workers
condemned to the rear! How destructive of pubic
morality now scandaous, how heinous the appoint
lnent of party workers must appear to the purified
unscaed vision of the Republican party! The SINGER
ty and value, however of this Republican horror
only be fairly estimated by looking at the records for
tss last quarter Of ss1tu'y ran and since
toparty workers who engaged in the grand lar
ceny of the presidency will forever remain of the
tory i Then came visiting statesmen as they
were styled. who called upon Louisiana at that dis
graceful period, headed by john Sherman of Ohio,
and who were Immediately afterward rewarded for
party work as follows
John sherman, Secretary of the Treasury;
f. W. Stoughton, minister to Russia;
John A. Kasson, minister To Austria;
]. H. Hawley, commissioner TO Paris Exposition;
John Coburn commissioner to Hot Springs;
+. f. Noyes. minister to France;
Lew Wallace Governor of New Mexico.
The annual reward of these so-called statesmen in
the form Of salaries received for political services
party workers, amounted to $4,000 In Florida
the ssme corrupt account of party services
hered and paid.
Mr. Voorhees,, abiding to the charge that I'M
at persons had received federal appointments in
Indiana, said:
It is an abominable falsehood on its face. There
Is not Democratic federal official in Indiana APP
ronted from Indiana who has failed in the intelligent
and faithful discharge of his duties up the present