Los Angeles herald., 1891-03-30
MONDAY, MARCH so, 1891.
REPUBLICAN DIsINTRGRATIoN--A RE-
TRoSPRCT.

John James ingalls,, late the senate
from Kansas, who called aspirations fo
purity in politics an irridescent dream
has had an awakening which came toe
late to save his own political fortunes
He has recently INDUCED in the graves
vaccinations as to the future of the Re
publican party-a party whose mos
vindictive and most eloquent advocate
he undoubtedly was for years past. He
sees in the Farmers Alliance an agency
which will wreck the Republican party.
He disclaims the desire to ring an
alarm bell at midnight; but he never
theless proceeds, in the broad noon-day
sun of an aroused political sentiment, te
swing the clapper until the welkin
rings. Republicans will be quite likely
to claim that Mr.. Ingalls, mistakes his
own downfall for that OF his party. 1t il
very probable that his own defeat fol
the United States senate had something
to do with his present clarity of vision
His case is not peculiar. Even
80 clear-headed man as Saul
of Tarsus once underwent mag
ical change OF ideas on matters
even more important than the current
politics of the United States. But how
ever the change of Mr.. Ingalls, views
was brought about, his vivid picture of
the dangers which menace the Repub-
Hcan party is life-like and true.
Mr.. James G. Blaine, with his usual
dexterity, created an issue, artificial and
sensational, ON which the inheritor of
his grandfather's hat managed to reach
the White House. But there are limi-
tations even to the ingenuity of the
White Plumed Knight. The passage of
the Mckinley bill has rendered even his
resources inadequate to meeting the
necessities of the Republican party in
the approaching presidential campaign.
If, when Harrison entered Office, there
had been moderate reduction IN the
tariff in line with that public sentiment
that thought that war taxtion was obso-
lete-a sentiment which was by no
means con fined to the Democratic party
the Republicans would have bad fight
ing show for success in the approaching
campaign. notwithstanding issues which
are really responsible for the creation Of
the Farmers Alliance.
The origin of this new and potent
factor in American politics is really
referable to the scarcity of money and
the merciless grip which the eastern
money lenders have upon the throats of
the western farmers. The Republican
hostility to silver, and the steadily
diminishing volume of the circulating
medium, which inevitably results from
the cancellation OF the bonds upon
which the national bank circulation is
founded, have, day by day, made the lot
of the western farmer harder to bear.
He has been compelled to wit
ness the process by which the rich
have become richer and the poor
poorer. The indebtedness of the west
ern farmer to the eastern capital
lists in certain of the old-time staunch
Republican states has simply become
overwhelming. The tiller of the soil
feels that he is between the devil and
the deep blue sea. The pocket nerve is
the most sensitive thing man carries
about him, and not even ingrained
Republicanism can withstand the strain.
Every one will recall the example of
the COW, which ingenious story is cred
tied to the authorship of John P. Irish.
That useful bovine, according to Mr..
Irish, has her head in the western corn
bins and clover fields, while her udders
are IN New York, and are being indus
triously MIXED in Wall street. The
western farmers are tired of this ex-
perience.
That monetary considerations have
been influential in the past in shaping
the politics of extensive sections can be
proved by short retrospect. Take
Illinois, for example. In the famous
Douglas-Lincoln debate for the senator
ship in 1858, Douglas won, although
Illinois in 1860 cast her electoral vote
for Lincoln for president. Illinois had
been staunch Democratic state, and
her preference for her own citizen for
pTeSiucut ny uO luodHo luulCdGCu any
enduring devotion to the party to which
he belonged. But her farmers were
heavily mortgaged. Then came the green
back legislation of the Republican party,
which enabled the farmer to pay off his
mortgage in currency redundant
though heavily deprecated. In other
words, at one time the Illinois farmer
could settle his Indebtedness for thirty
seven and half cents on the dollar.
No earthly contrivance could divorce
him from party which gave him such
advantages. He held on to the Republi-
can party until the other day, when
Illinois, under the vigorous leadership
of General Palmer, went Democratic by
over thirty thousand majority. This
was the case also, to a large extent,
with all the western states.
The western farmer again demands an
abundant circulating medium. He has
no use for party which will not give
it to him. He is satisfied that he can