The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-03-30

The foregoing dispatches are full of deep
significance to the democratic party OF the
United States. They contain g lesson
which, if well learned and acted upon,
will lead the democracy to certain victory
next fall a lesson, to ignore which, puts
democratic success in deadly peril, to say
the least.
According to these dispatches, when the
silver question came up in the house very
little interest was manifested in tine dis
custom not enough to fill the seats on the
floor, to say nothing of those in the
galleries This condition prevailed. too,
In spite of the fact that a row" was as
sured and that there was much doubt as
to how large numbers of the members of
both parties would vote on the subject-a
doubt which would naturally be expected
to arouse a show of interest.
On the other hand. when the tariff de-
bate opened in the house. though it was
well known that there world be no sort
of 'scene;" though it was known TO a
vote how the house would divide; though
it was known that the argument would,
in the main, be purely statistical and
would 90 over ground often covered be-
fore-in spite of all these things every
seat on the floor and in the galleries was
filled. and from the latter many eager
would-be listeners were turned away.
Taken in connection with the political
history of the past few years the lesson OF
these conditions is as plain as the day.
a. =.
for democracy this year.
In 1876 the democratic party declared
for a tariff for revenue only aud swept the
country.
In 1880. when its candidate and some of
its leaders sought to dwarf the tariff issue,
the party went down to defeat.
In 1884, on a platform for revenue only
and a strict adherence to that declaration,
the democracy not only elected its presi-
dent, bat seated him.
In 1855 the demand for tariff reform Sc
cured the adherence of majority of the
voters OF the country, though the demo-
cratic party was deprived of its victory
through corrupt practices in New York
and Indiana.
In $780, when tariff reform was again
the issue-made doubly distinct by the
passage of the Mckinley bill the
democracy piled up majorities exceeding
anything ever before known in the history
| OF the country.
/ The history of 1901 is still fresh in the
/ public mind. In Iowa. Massachusetts, and
! New York the democratic party stuck
close by its tariff reform principles and
carried those states by storm. largely in
creasing its power in each. But in Ohio
the issue was abandoned; the democratic
| party took the advice of its opponents,
made silver the issue and lost all the adj
/ vantage gained the year before.
The testimony of the dispatches quoted
heretofore is borne out by all the news
J papers of the country. Notwithstanding
the division in both parties on the silver
question, the editorial columns of the
newspapers still devote more space TO
tariff than to silver discussions. Espe.
cially is this true of republican papers,
which. while their adversaries are PRONG
and coming about silver, are devoting all
their attention to an effort to convince
people that the tariff is not tax and that
protection is good for the people. While
the democratic press is fighting itself on
the coinage issue, the republican press is
befogging the mind of the voter with pro-
lection fallacies and undoing the great
work of education which the democracy
has so nobly carried on in times past.
| To tba cov, roup;cof racaivad nv The
newspapers from their readers the same
overshadowing interest is manifested in
the tariff. Democrats in the ranks are
thoroughly conversant with this issue
they are fortified with facts. and nearly
every voter OF the democratic faith ID
already a stump-speaksr ON this vital