The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-03-22
AN OPEN CONFESSION.
A Reformed Democrat Tells Why He
Joined the Republican Party.

| A Reformed Democrat Tells Why He
Joined the Republican Party.
A Minnesota Democrat originally
from the South, has seen the error of
his ways. has repented. and will hence
forth show his change of faith by his
works. His confession appears in the
Minneapolis Tribune. III the South he
grew up Democrat "by absorption. !"
His Democracy was not shaken by the
shotgun policy. and if he had stayed
below the Mason and Dixon line he
would have remained Democrat to
this day. But the disreputable and
criminal methods upon which the Ames
Gubernatorial campaign was conduct
ed were too much for him. He has re-
pudiated the party for the sake of his
political manhood. and is henceforth a
Republican. To use his own words:
Ihave been lifelong Democrat. and TO my
friends of that party have no apologies or ex-
cuses to make for what now have to say. In
the first place / confess to an ignorance of the
silence of politics that any Democrat might be
proud of, and 1 believe if had continued to re-
side in the South, where was raised. ] should
always have continued 10 be Democrat on
the principle that what was good enough for
my father was good enough for me; but as a
citizen of Minnesot have seen enough TO con-
vince me that the policy OF the Democratic
party is inimicai 10 the vital interests of the
country and more especially to this immediate
part OF il. Beng an admitted ignoramus in
political ethics and an avowed Democrat by sur
roundngs and absorption the most rigid fol-
lowers of any cause are those who absorb their
sentiments from their surroundings rather than
from logical convctions), il will readily be seen
that something very radically and palpably
wrong must have trsnspired to upset the calm
of long settled and complacent devotion to the
party OF Jeffersonian simplicity and innocuous
desuetude. During the campaign of 1886 was
in a position to know very intimately the work
ings of the great cause, and regard for
decency compels me to say that / became
ashamed OF my party. In the South have
seen some of the workings Of the "shot-
gun policy" but in justice to my
Southern friends 1 will aver that their
methods were respectable compared to those
practiced by the Democrats OF Minnesota q
year ago last fall. Twas prepared to see much
evil done, that good might come of it. and re-
viewed with complacency the little plots and
schemes in which all elections abound: but
when the saloons and bawdy houses of two
cities were turned into electioneering Joints and
all their immoral and corrupting tendencies
brought to bear on that numerous class whose
ballots are a merchantable commodity; when
the sluice gates of calumny and billingsgate
and filth were turned on men whom knew to
be personally pure, and when my own party
put forward a man known to me and all the
public as personally and VIGOROUSLY impure,
began to question whether 1 should submit to
the domination OF partisanship. heard the
public speakers Of my own party charging the
opposition with bribery and corruption, heard
the leader and candidate of that party state
publicly that he was worth mot to exceed
Sl00" and yet knew that great many thou
sands OF dollars were used for the purpose of
political corruption and bribery by the very
man whose excheQuer was so low. / saw there
was IN inconsistency, but patiently awaited
developments. 1t IVES a surprise to every one,
and 1 believe if the barrel had held out the
result would have been still a greater sur
prise in store for the people, for am sorry
to have to observe there is a large purchase
BILE vote in the State. Well, there was great
hue and cry of fraud, and as usual 1.-The fox
was the finder Now let any calm un-
N7<nd ced Democrat view the events of the
- &fteen months and say truly if the Demo-
<14E{9party had succeeded in seating its can
dtdz16s for State Offices would the country
hav3 been as well Of as it is. 1t is fact that
noDemocrat ever can deny, that the State is
obviously and by large majority in favor Of
practiced by the shrewd politicians of the
minority party had succeeded the reaction in
public sentiment would certainly have con-
demned the methods by which the success had
been accomplished, and the general dissatis-
faction would have been so great as to serious
ly interfere with the harmonious workings of
the machine Of State. On the other hand, any
one who has watched the present administra-
ton as jealousy as the writer will he forced to
the admission in all candor that it has been
most excellent one. No living man is wholly
free from error, and 1 have several times
thought right had found grounds for seriously
Directing TO the policy pursued by the present
Governor, but in every instance after fully
awaiting all the developments in the case
have found that he has picked his way through
the devious and difficult paths with rare judg-
ment and tact, and has displayed knowledge
OF the wants Of the people not often found in
public man, while his eminent strength of
character and force of will have served him to
maintain his official dignity and personal
sense of justice and right where weaker man
would have inevitably been swamped by IN
righteous opposition.