The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-11-12
THE INDIANA Plight,


Some Republicans outside of Indiana have
expressed surprise or disappointment at the
smallness of the Republican plurality in this
State. We have no patience with that sort of
feeling. Those who entertain it have no
proper understanding of the situation, and
they do the Republicans of Indiana great In
justice in Understanding the magnitude Of
their victory or imagining that they might. or
could. or should have done better. It is
little like criticising victorious army which,
after hard-fought battle against great odds,
has routed the enemy and held the field, be-
cause it let any get away. No such feeling as
that exists among the men who won the VIC
tory. Indiana Republicans know how hard
it was to get any plurality at all, and they are
inexpressibly happy and proud to have car
ried the State. A plurality of $500 may look
small to some Republicans, but it looks
mighty big to those of Indiana. Twenty-Five
hundred in this State is more than 10000 in
New York. or %, 900 in Ohio or Illinois, and
more than co. 600 in Iowa or Kansas. The
Republicans of Indiana have achieved mag
nifcent victory, and they don't want any
body to forget it. No person will under
estimate its magnitude who appreciates the
difficulties under which it was gained, and
the strength and malignity of the opposition.
Indiana is the closest State in the Union.
With voting population of more than
$780, 00 it never goes more than few thou
sand either way. Thomas A. Hendricks, who
possessed great personal popularity, and was a
great leader and shrewd politician, carried it
for Governor by only LAS. In 1876 the
Democrats. with Hendricks on the ticket,
carried the State by plurality of ssh. In
1880 the Republicans carried it by 6,642. In
1884, with Hendricks on the ticket again, the
Democrats carried it by 6,527. In 1888 the
Republicans capture it again by about 9, 500.
If anybody thinks this was an easy victory, he
should have been here to see how hardly it
was won. 1t was hand-to-hand fight from
the beginning to the end of the campaign.
| The Democracy had control of the national
administration and the executive department
of the State government They had control
of Marion county, with one of the most cor
rupt and INSCRIPTIONS political rings in ex-
istence. They had converted all the State in
situations into political machines. and at least
one of them into cess pool of political cor
ruption. They had United States marshal,
who, with extraordinary political malignity
and unscrupulousness had the additional mo-
tive of personal animosity for desiring to de-
feat General Harrison. They had an enormous
corruption fund, embracing large contributions
from the national committee, heavy collec-
tons of money from the South, and liberal
donations from all the 5rsweries and distil-
leries. They had an unprecedented variety
of frauds and good schemes" and an mex
haustible stock of hydra-headed campaign
| lies, which they worked with really devilish
ingenuity. Their warfare on General Harri-
son was simply outrageous. No such warfare
was ever made by the Republicans on Mr..
| Hendricks, though he was not a more honored
and it is compliment to his memory to say
| he was as good a man. The warfare
made on General Harrison was a disgrace
to the Indiana Democracy and to American
politics. His personality, the overshadowing
force of the campaign everywhere, was in this
State the very inspiration of it. 1t inspired
| Republicans with extraordinary enthusiasm
| and Democrats with uncommon malice. His
personal strength and purity of character,
which made the Republicans feel that he was
invincible, only impelled the Democratic man
ayers to invent new schemes for his defama-
ton and defeat. The Republicans had indeed
good organization, good State ticket, a good
State committee. and excellent leadership; but
| all these could not have won the victory that
has been won against the world, the flesh and
the devil 1t is essentially General Harrison's
victory, accomplished through the enthusiasm
inspired by his personal character and popu-
larity. These and his Incompatible conduct
during the campaign enabled the Republicans
| of Indiana to achieve one Of the most remark
able victories in American politics. Let nc
one sheer at the smallness of the plurality.
We do not think any Indiana Democrat will
do so, and we are sure that to Indiana Repub.
Leans every unit of it is as sacred as gold an !
looks as big as a mountain.
GENERAL INTIMIDATION.