The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-09-12
THE STATE TICKET.
No Better Ever Presented by tho Party in
the State.


As for Indiana, the democratic party never
presented 20 the people of the state better
ticket. Ii represents in an eminent degree the
intelligence and patriotism OF the state. and
have no doubt but that il viii be triumphantly
elected.
l am not here to indulge in vituperation and
abuse, or in personalities; this should be a
campaign of thought. The questions at issue
are not so many, and the controlling questions
are different from those that were at issue 10
previous campaigns since the war. In former
campaigns the Overshadowing question was
that OF honest government and when corrup-
ton pervades the administration OF public
affairs, honest government should always be
the controlling question in the politics of our
country. as free government cannot be perpe:-
uated unless integrity ehancterizes its admin
tstration and fidelity marks the conduct Of
It's public servants. Now, my couutrymen let
us look for moment at the past and then at
the present as experience is always the best
guide for the future.
The people saw under republican rule the
most gigantic frauds and peculation stalking
with brazen etfrontery through nearly every
department of the government. They saw
millions upon millions OF the public revenue
stolen by whisky rings and other conspira-
cies organized TO rob the government. They
saw the nations bonds lavished a subsidy on
great railway corporations that have not paid
their debt to the government, and perhaps
never will. They saw the most unheard OF cor
ruPtion practieed in the mail service
by the star route conspiracy. They
saw nearly two hundred million acres
of the public domain given to rail-
road corporations. They saw foreign syn
dieates acquiring immense tracts OF the pub
lie lands in the territories. They saw the cat
tie syndicGtes take possession OF the territories,
tranpling out the right of actual settlers They
saw the elective franchise debauehed by the
corrupt use Of money. They saw the federal
judiciary prostituted TO partisan ends, and a
presidentinaugurated that had been defeated at
the bAllot-bOx. They saw the defenders oil the
Union paid in deprecated paper money. while
the bondholders were paid in coin. They saw
. system OF tariff taxation established that has
destroyed our ship-building driven American
commerce from the oceans, enhanced the price
of all the necessaries of life, and which wrings
from the hard earnings OF the people nearly
one hundred millions OF dollars annually more
than is required to defray all the expenses OF
the government; tlriA that has built up and
fostered corporate mOnopOlies, Syndicates and
combinations of capital which are seeking to
obtain political and business control of the
country, and through whose agencies come the
importation OF pauper contract labor, to
the great detTiment OF American workmen.
The people sought relief from corruption and
misrule by ealing back 10 power the old demo
cratic party, and three and a half years of
democratic rule has shown that the people did
not mistake the means Of relief No whisky
ring conspiracies. no land rings, no bond syndi-
Gates, no freedman's bureau frauds, no salary
grabs, no corrupt practices IN war or navy de-
partments, no giving away Of the public lands to
private corporations, no foreign syndicate
acquiring the public domain, no star route and
other corrupt practices that sgnaized repub-
ican administrations, characterize the admins
Eration of Grover Cleveland