The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-03-15
UNLUCkY CUNNING.
Circumstances Threatening to MI. Cleve-
Iand's denomination.

lonu8 INSTRUMENTATION
The Democracy of Indiana was evel
famous for doing the wrong thing a
the wrong time; nor has its right hand
get forgotten its unlucky cunning. Sc
long as Mr.. Cleveland appeared to be
an unavoidable necessity the Indians
Democracy denounced him heartily,
and "rahed" for Hill till the bras;
began to wear off its lungs. Now that
it is certain, that Mr.. Cleveland has
powerful rivals. and possible that he
will not get the vote of his own State
in convention, the Indiana Democracy
is rending its throat with "rah fol
Groverr' Senator Morton once said
that the Indiana Democrats were like
unto men sitting with their backs to
the engine on very fast train. 1.-THE
first glimpse they get of any thing is
when it is mile out of reach" This
witty prognosis of Democratic infirm-
ity is as true to-day as on the day when
it was made.
Nor is it true of Indiana alone. The
Hoosier Democrats have carried them
selves from the Hill to the Cleveland
circus, and have insisted that Isaac p.
Gray shall be deputy ringmaster for
the next season; but in truth all the
ultra Democrats, all the Calhoun-D Davis
remnants have recently passed from
Hill to Cleveland's tent. The very
men who were but lately condemning
Mr.. Cleveland's mugwumpery and pro-
fessions of liberality are now haiiing
him as chief of the reactionists, while
Mr.. Hill is transformed from the idol
of the Bourbons into the hope of the
progressive Democrats. Indiana and
Kentucky are going for Cleveland, just
as New York and Alabama seem to be
getting ready to support HID
-Four contradictory forces unite to
threaten Mr.. Cleveland's renomina-
ton - enlightened selfishness, unen-
lightened selfishness. conscience, cor
ruption. Enlightened selfishness is
moving Alabama, East and West Vir-
ginia, Tennessee, and, n some de-
gree, Georgia, to the support of n
policy which taxes imports and lets
home products go duty free; that
raises revenue by protection rather
than by oppression of home industries;
it is force that has been set in mo-
ton by the Presidents message. and
it is force that is more friendly to
Hill than to Cleveland. Unenlightened
selfishness demands "the head of
John the Baptist in charger" in
slant decapitation of Republicanism
wherever found in 4 postal or other
departmental office, no matter how
much the service may suffer by the
removal of a skilled and substitution
of an unframed officer; this force
resents Cleveland's pretentions to
mugwumpery, and approves Hills open
adhesion to the spoils doctrine. Con-
science rebukes the mugwumps who
were deceived by Mr.. Cleveland's pre-
tensions. 1t is force working against
the President. though not in favor of
any Democratic rival; it is a force
urging the mugwumps to renounce an
unnatural alliance. Corruption itself
protests against the Presidential pre-
tense of honesty. The friends of Coy
are asking why the President encour-
aged prosecution of frau IS in Indiana
and rewarded the agents of fraud in
Maryland and New York.
But, for all these things. it is likely
that Cleveland will be the nominee of
the next convention; it is not nearly so
certain as it seemed while ago, but
still it is probability. 1t is not prob
able, however, that a candidate so evil
IDENTITY creature of compromise and
necessity as Mr.. Cleveland must be, will
be, supported by more than perfunctory
service from large number of his
nominal adherents. - Chicago Inter
Ocean,