The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1888-03-30

mUtOu recently. can not unicorn "
ray of light. Blaine Is certainly out 81
the question. John Shcrman's nomi-
nation does not seem 70 BE- possibii-
ity. There Is no movement for Alli-
son. or Hawlcy. or Harrison or Cub
lon. or Hiscock or anybody else on
the list. any more than there was four
or eight years ago. ] doubt Il tho
winning man In our convention has
heen mentioned yet by any one. Yet
the man may come 10 us In our hour
Of need. Such things have happened
To Us before in our political history. "
This Is an accurate survey Of the Re-
publican situation. There are at
present about twenty Republican
leaders who are mentioned as possible
candidates. yet In the whole lot there
Is not one whose availability can not
be seriously questioned. This Is n
very curious situation for great party
TO be in. and 1t Is worth while TO in
quire into the causes which have led
up. or rather down. to it.
1t ~ noticeable that as ono man ter
another is considered. he is barred out
as undesirable because there Is that in
his record which will offend certain
:" votes" Thus Senators Sherman.
Harrison. Hawlcy and Allison are all
thought to DO excluded because they
otcd against the Chinese Restriction
bill. ii being part Of the party be-
lief that no Republican candidate can
carry the Pacific Coast who has voted
in that way. He would not get the
" anti Chinese vote" Judge Gresham
Is believed to be barred out because
Of lis prompt and fearless decisions
against turbulent strikers. which
would cost him the labor vote
These are the party's strongest men.
and with them set aside the field .or
choice is narrowed to such aspirants
rs Foraker. Alger. Oglesby. Cullom.
Hiscock. Depew. Boutelle. Blair and
Phelps. none Of whom would give as
surance OF any thing like . close con-
test with President Cleveland
1t il not difficult to see why 1t Is that
This question Of '.votcs has come to
play SO important part in the Repub-
lican calculations The whole policy
Of the party for the past few years has
been directed to the creation Of pre-
cisely such obstacles. Take. for cx-
ample. the Chinese question. What
gave that lasting importance was the
conduct Of Mr. Blaine in writing let
ter on the subject in which he made a
bid for the Pacific Coast vote. That
letter not only gave him the support
Of the anti-Chinese element. but made
1t necessity for every candidate for a
long time afterwards to have the same
magnet. II Mr.. III line had not raised
the question to the dignity Of an
ISSUE" il would have been forgotten
long ago. and the party would not
now be deprived OF the leadership Of
four Of its most competent men. So
it is with the labor vote" II it had
not been persistcntly coddled and per-
sistently lied to about the effects Of
protection in keeping wages high. there
would be no fear Of hostility to Judge
Gresham.
But not only have the leaders Of the
party been thus disabled by this truck
ling to "votes." but the rising genera
ton Of voters has been so displeased
BY the pcrfor nance that the number Of
able men turning towards the Repub-
Iican party each year has been rapidly
diminishing. The departure OF the
Indepcnd, nfs. Or Mugwumps, however
arrogant and "big- hcadcd" they may
have been. was not the only loss the
party has sustained because OF its pet
ty votc-angling policy. However
earnest the veterans OF the party may
have been in urging that policy, in
seeking for the anti-C Chinese vote. now
for the labor vote, now for the Irish
vote. now for the soldier vote. and
| FIRST, last and all the time for the igno-
rant and prejudiced vote. the men Of
talent in the rising generation could
see nothing attractive, nothing offer
ing promising field for their ambi-
tons. in party given up to such aims
They have therefore been going over.
in steadily Embarrassing numbers during
the past few years. to the Democratic
party. There can be 70 doubt about
this. They belong to new era and
can not be frightened by mere party
name. They see the Republican party
every day more obstinateIy opposed "a
progress, clinging 70 war memories FOL
quarter Of a century after the war i
over, and standing in the way Of any
attempt to lcgislatc in the interests 81
the changed condition Of the present
| time.
| What inducement can there be for 4
young man Of intelligence and amhi'
tion 10 enter q party which makes 2
great man Of such ridiculous person
as Governor Forakerp The mere fact
that q man Of that calibcr is mentioned
as very probable Presidential candi
date Is striking evidence Of the intel
lectual decadcncc which has fallen up
on the party. The veteran Senator
whom we have quoted above says thu
man that the party Il looking for may
vet come to IL in its hour Of ncci, rs has
happencd before in It's history; but the