The Indianapolis journal., 1891-03-20
THE TWO KINDS OF PALMER.


The Chicago News has been advo-
eating the election of Ex-Governor
Palmer to the United States Senate be-
cause he is free-trader and Demo-
crat, and, in temperate manner. it
rejoiced over his election. Now it is
announced that the Senator-elect is
going to Chicago pending the municipal
election. Thereat the News of Chicago
is indignant. 1t has had enough of local
Democratic rule, or misrule, during the
past ten years to make the name of
municipal Democracy a horror. Other
papers have deplored the misrule of the
Democratic gang in Chicago in strong
language, but the News has assaiied it
with relentless fury. Day after day it
has exposed the weakness of the Mayor
and the corruption of the gang which
controls him. 1t would seem that the
News is convinced that in all the world
there is no element so lawless as the
mass of voters which the Democratic
leaders rally to the polls, and no gang
of thieves so cOnscienceleSs as those
which control the present municipal
regime of Chicago. In the course of an
editorial entitled ''Why Senator Palmer
Comes" the Chicago News emphatically
remarks:
reasons for Senator Palmer's projected visit
to Chicago during the coming municipal
campaign. He comes to insure Democratic
success at the polls. if that is possible.
NJ t. ~t.~A N
has any influence with the Chicago tax
payers except in a blind appeal to party
prejudice. The sole motive of
those who are bringing Senator Palmer to
bolster mp the Democratic campaign in the
coming contest 10 spOils. All this talk of
the necessity for Democratic ascendency in
Chicago municipal affairs 10 q deliberate
appeal to party prejudice for the purpose
of continued plunder of the taxpayers.
Senator Palmer comes to Chicago
as a politician for political ends His tri-
umph In the senatorial contest is being
used by the spoismen with his consent.
Non partisan citizens of Chicago will right
fully consider all such interlopers enc
mics OF their efforts TO control their own
affairs and to administer their own city
government for the benefit of all classes.
The foregoing is plain language. Ex-
Governor Palmer's political opponents
have said many harsh things of him, but
none of them has declared that he is
the "enemy" of those who are striving
''to administer their own city govern
ment for the benefit of all classes" And
yet the News did all in it's power to put
the Democratic party in power in Illi-
nois, to the end that General Palmer
might be elected to the United States
Senate. The position of the News is not
only illogical but weak and absurd. 1t
would like to have the Democrats control
the national government, but it would
as soon see the government of Chicago
turned over to band of robbers as to
the Democratic leaders selected by the
mass of Democratic voters in that city.
The real Democracy in Chicago. whose
strongholds are where crime and de-
bauchery make their homes, the re-
spectacle News cries out against; but an
ideal Democracy, chosen by these same
disreputable masses, controlled by the
men who control the present Mayor,
possesses all intelligence and patriot
ism, and should direct the federal gov
ernment. With local affairs ex-GOv.
Palmer and his crowd cannot be intrust-
ed, but in the broader field of national af-
fairs they are expected to display the
highest patriotism and the wisest states
manship. Somewhere between the
slums of Chicago and the departments
at Washington the Democratic party
experiences grand Transformation. In
Chicago General Palmer and the men
whom the News accuses of plundering
the taxpayers of that city are a band
of conspirators comprising the general
robbery of the people; in Washington
they are applauded as the promoters of
the best interests of the Republic! And
SO the Chicago News devotes ten months
in the year to efforts to induce decent
and intelligent men to support the party
of Senator-elect Palmer for national
purposes and two months to exposing
the turpitude of the local leaders of that
party, and to warnings not to vote for
them for Mayor and aldermen unless
they wish to put Chicago into the hands
of thieves! But no level-headed person
ever did or ever will be able to UNDER
stand the antics of the thoroughbred
mugwump organ.