The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-11-15
THE 8oLDuR RACKET.

The mass Of voters In both parties
To-Day DO not comprehend the fun force
Of the soldier vote, and its influence on
elections, ~ N now over twcnty,threC
years since the war closed, and the
voter OF thlrly'llye years to-day, was
only eight years old when the war com
menced, aud twelve years old when the
war ended, Hence, the mature voter
of today knows very little Of the war,
save from hearay aud history. Many
seem 70 think II N an old story without
any present vitality In American poll
ties,
Let us look Ot the statistics u little
on this point Take two Congressional
districts IN ONO that lie side by side,
The Toledo District, aud the district
Immediately west, In the Toledo Dis.
trlct, now represented by Jacob liomeis,
Republican, the Democrats nominated
Col, VIM. Il, Haynes, of Fremont, In
the district west of Toledo the Repub'
leans nominated NJ, NJ, joothman, u
one legged soldier, Mark the result
BOothman Is elected by 1928 majority
while the Democrats carry the district
by nearly one thousand, In the Toledo
District, Col, VIM, u, Haynes ~ elected
over Romeig by about one thousand
majority. by u letter at hand from u
prominent citizen of Toledo, we learn
that Col, Haynes received u large vote
from the Republican soldiers, IN fact
his election was on account Of the sol
dler vote,
The result in these two Ohio districts
would seem 10 indicate considerable
vitality In the soldier business, not.
withstanding the lapse of nearly u quar-.
tor Of u century since the war,
There Is no doubt that the Republi-
cans have secured n majority In the
next Congress by working the soldier
business all over the Western States,
II Is well known that In Indiana, Hin.
OILS, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and IN
all the Western states, the Republicans
worked the soldier business, and the
Presidents yetoes Of soldiers pensions,
with telling effect. We have no doubt
the Democrats lost Indiana on that is.
sue alone. The National En-.
campment Cf the Grand
Army that met in Columbus IN
September, denounced Col. Matson, the
Democratic nominee for Governor of
Indiana, because he failed, Os chairman
Of the pension committee of the House
TO report the dependent pension bill
for n vote, and this action of the
Grand Army was used in every school
district In Indiana 10 defeat MOtBon,
or course, We understand that II was
by systematic bribery that indiana
was carried the same 0S In 1880 by
Dorsey aud Dudley, but If Col. Matson,
had taken the advice Of his best friends
In the Democratic party he would have
avoided the conflict with the Grand
Army EnCampment.
1t Is observed that the oaly speech
made by Blaine In the Northwest was
IN Chicago, where Protection was
hardly mentioned lliswhole aim was
to show that President Cleveland was
hostile to the Union Soldiers Of the
country, and the burden Of this speech,
was to establish this proposition,
In estimating the result In the West
ern States, the soldier business cuts u
much more important figure than the
leaders of the Democratic party seem
to appreciate. The Republicans work.
ed the soldier racket with telling effect,
but that the next Administration will
do any more for the worthy and needy
soldiers Of the couutry than has been
done by the present Administration,
we have grave doubts,