The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-18
Gen. PaImer's Election.

to the Z. S. senate from Illinois termi-
mates one of the most memorable senate
rial contests in the history of the country.
The result will be hailed with Joy by
every democrat in the republic, and ought
to be entirely agreeable to every honest
man in the land, without regard to his
party affiliations. because it is splendid
vindication of the principle of majority
rule. 1t is not to be forgotten that Gen.
PALMER was formally nominated for sena-
tor by the last democratic state conven-
ton in Illinois; that he made a canvass
before the people for that Office, speaking
in every county in the state. and that the
people decreed that he should be senator
by giving the legislative candidates
pledged to his candidacy an aggre-
gate majority of $1,000 over the opposi-
ton. a more emphatic or unmis-
taxable popular verdict has rarely been
rendered, and every consideration of
patriotism and fairness should have con-
strained the republican politicians of
Illinois to gracefully acquiesce in it. In
stead, however. they have been scheming
and plotting and struggling ever since
Nov. to overset it. Thanks to the re-
publican gerrymander of Illinois and the
preponderance of republican "hold-
over senator's" they were able
TO muster 100 votes in the general
assembly against l0l democratic
votes and threEF NJ B. A. votes Thus
the democrats, with an immense popular
majority at their backs. found themselves
lacking two of clear majority in the as
sembly, and triangular struggle began
which has been rarely equaled for the
persistency and pluck with which it has
been conducted on all sides.
From the first Gen. PALMER has had
the advantage of position. He stood, to
begin with, the unchallenged choice of
the people OF Illinois for the senatorship.
He had a compact, well-disciplined,
thoroughly loyal following OF 101 demo-
Gratis, while the republican forces were
hopelessly divided in their preferences.
Gen. PALMER represented not only the
principles of the democratic party, but he
stood also as the exponent of a new but
very popular issue-the election of U. s.
senators by the people. That issue had
been presented to the people by the dem
ocratlc state convention; 1t had been &C
centuated by the formal nomination of
Gen. PALMER for senator; he had pre-
scented it on the hastings in every county
in the state; it had been overwhelmingly
Endorsed by the voters. Then Gen.
PALMER's personality was a tremendous
factor. He is peculiarly a man of the
people. He has been close to them all his
life. He has always enjoyed their conf
dence and respect, because he has never
been for a moment time server, q
demagogue, a coward or a hypocrite.
He has always had the courage of
his convictions. In war he was a war
man in peace he has been a peace man.
He was brave soldier, but after the war
ended he stood nobly for the suprema-
cy of the civil over the military power.
AS governor of Illinois he made splendid
record, and since his retirement to pri-
vate life he has fulfilled every obligation
to American citizenship. He has labored
faithfully to preserve the integrity of the
vidual and to sustain the principles of
home rule. He has fought every measure
OF Capitalization, every scheme to tax the
people for the benefit of few, every
project OF public plumber and jobbery,
every new device of legislative spoliation
or partisan oppression. Hence his very
name was a tower of strength to his party
in the contest his character and record
the best guarantees of its ultimate sue
cess. His manly and confident bearing
from the beginning to the end of the
struggle was perpetual inspiration to his
followers and a constant discouragement
to the enemy.
A grand old man is JOHN NJ. PALMER.
No other American of his years ever made
such a gallant fight or won so superb
victory. We congratulate him upon his
deserved triumph. We congratulate the
10l gallant Illinois democrats who stood
by him so nobly from beginning to end,
without ever hesitating or wavering for
an instant. Their loyalty, their honesty,
their persistency were alike admirable,
and entitle them to the thanks of the
democratic masses of the country. We
congratulate the democratic party of Hi
nois upon the election OF the first square,
toed democrat to the senate from that
state since the great STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS
was returned in 1859, more than
thirty years ago. We congratulate
the two F. NJ. B. A. representa-
tives who, after making a sturdy fight
against the inevitable, finally chose man
of the people for senator in preference to
an exponent of plutocracy and central
ization. We congratulate all the people
of Illinois and the entire republic because
JOHN NJ PALMER's success is the first step
toward the election of u. s. senators by
the people-a reform which will be of
great and lasting benefit to the country.
VIII the Women Submit?
Governor HovEY's reported determine
ton to appoint no women as commission
ers for the worlds fair is about what