The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-01-07
FEES n
Pledges Made Before Election Must Be
Kept After Election.

Kept After Election
The Alliance Adrocdte OF this city, the
leading organ of the farmers organizations
in Indiana, publishes the following from
the pen of DIR. c. 4. Robinson OF Norris
town, one of the most prominent alliance
men in Indiana:
For WAYS that are dark. and tricks that
are vain" commend 10 me the proprlstpr
of the average political newspaper. espec>
ially the one that Is supported by the
''huence' it has with county officers.
"Your readers will remember that l
have, all along, cautioned them not to rest
upon pledges made by conventions and
candidates, as no sooner were the votes
counted than we would see a combined
effort ON the part of official organs To
practice the old tactics of going square
back on their word. and lOg-rolllng to pre-
vent the very legislation their party
pledged itself to, and the sequel OF the
late election is no exception TO the rule.
Already these self-same organs are sett-
ing up the howl. | have before asserted
that the democratic party secured the
legislature more on account OF its UNI
equivocal declaration in avor OF a total
abolition of the present system OF remun-
Grafton of officers for services, than from
any other cause and, as a heretofore con-
slstent democrat, / think / understand
whereof 1 speak. The plank that won the
democracy the legislature, has been pub
lished before in the .1drOcGtc, but | think
il will bear reproducing, since l wish to
show an effort on the part OF some demo-
cratic politician to violate its provisions.
Here il is:
"Wefavor the total abandonment OF the system
of fees and perquisities in the payment oil state
aud county officers; and we demand the enact
ment of a lew by the next legislature, hxlnR
fair salaries for all public officials. the same to
go into effect as soon as practicable.
Referring to the above plank, TIE n
DIANAPoLIs SENTINEL SAYS:
9Th new legislature will have no more s6-
emn duty than to redeem this pledge, both in
spirit aud in letter.
ITO which statement the Shelby Democrat
takes exception, in the following emphatic
manner:
Now the editor of h S-ENTINELwrote that
plank himself, and be knows that if the con-
vention had wanted it converted into O pledgelt
would have been so written. Why did be not
write 1t: We pledge ourselves TO the aboli-
ton of the fee and perouisite system, etc" He
knew that such a plank could not be choked
down the convention. Now he comes out and
takes advantage Of his own stratagem and at
tempts to ostracise democrats who refuse To
accept his dictum as the voice of the party and
the will of the people.
"Do YOU see the milk in the c"ocoanut?
The same old tactics exactly. Make a
square unrestricted pledge to the people
for the sole purpose OF getting their votes
and then go square back on the pledges
after the election.
'"The promise before the election is one
thing; the fulfllment of that promise
after the election is quite another. Before
the election the meaning and intent of
the language OF the platform was never
supposed to mean anything else but
what it was. Now that the election is
over and the officers are in, we are given
to understand hat such a thing as a pledge
was never intended. That if it had been
understood to be anything but a finely
worded sentence for the purpose of de-
ceiving the people it never could have
been choked down the throat of that con-
vention.'
The TRADE OF the Shelby Democrat
against The SENTINEL is over a column in
length, and d~enounces in every sentence
the principles for which the t~ax-paying,
wealth-producing masses in Indiana are
fighting, and ii the struggle be not a long
and bitter one, it will be because of the
Overwhelming pressure upon the elected
legislators, by the men who earn an hon
est existence by the sweat of the face.
"The fight on the fee and salary question
now has Just begun, as every person who
takes any interest in the matter will surely
discover soon. 1t ceases to be a political
question at all, now. Before the election
it WAS good enough to make a great fight
for political preferment upon, by a great
party, and upon this plank more than any
other the party won. Now, the whole ef-
fort OF all office holders will be concen-
trated in one effort that of defeating leg
~islation that looks toward a revision of the
fees and salaries received by ~extravagant
state and county officers.
"The methods used heretofore by men
who have tried to, liz some instances, sue
ceeded in defeating legislation against
high salaries, are too disgusting to have a
name Upon the snow-whIte pages of a po-
litical newspaper. They are always per-
sonal aud appeal 10 the low, sensual, de-
based natures OF the men who are ex-
pected to pass under their influences, and
men who have disgraced the pulpit have
also smirched their characters by working
hand TO hand with corrupt Indiana lob
byists.
Let no man sleep on his unloaded gun
for he will surely have to fight the most
INSCRIPTIONS emissaries OF the devil this
winter"