The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-11-13
THE DEMOCRATIC DISASTER.
The Party Can Sometimes Win by Tell
ing FalsehOOdA but Not Always.

To the Editor of the indianapolis Journal:
1t is a remarkable coincidence with what
doleful unanimity the doctors of the self
styled independent press and smart Demo-
cratic statesmen. whose highest ideals of
Industrial development are the cobbler and
blacksmith shops in their native jungles,
diagnose the cause of the great Demo-
cratic defeat. What they don't know about
it is really not worth knowing. Some are
facetious and come nearer the truth than
they usually are apt to be by saying tina
they did not have votes enough. They are
the true. philosophers. Some guess one
thing, others at something else, but it does
not seem to occur to any of them that
deep-seated apprehension of meddling with
the tariff and other Democratic devilment
has anything to do with closed factories
and idle workshops all over the country
OF course not; that is only the fancy of
disordered brains. 1t is imagination to
talk about people without work and their
families suffering; these are malignant in
Yentions OF lying Republicans. The people
clamored for a change and demanded tariff
reform of the most radical character in
1892, and elected Cleveland to bring it
about: they must now take a dose of their
medicine, willy nilly, good or bad, and the
pledges of the Chicago platform must be
carried out. no matter what result may
follow.
One brilliant statesman ascribes the crush
Ing disaster TO the legacy of pernicious leg
islation left by the Republican party, which
they accepted so j%ubilantly a year ago.; an
other wiSeacre is absolutely sure that 1t
was the delayed action on the repeal bill.
Still another charges that unthinking peO-
pie always stupidity hold the party in power
responsible for hard times, which, singularly
enough, invariably follow Democratic VIC
tories; some venture to complain that the
ungrateful old soldiers had their fingers in
the pie, failing to appreciate the generous
treatment accorded them by the liberal
Cleveland-Hoke Smith administration, and
SO on and so forth. The hearts of others
are woefully grieved over the misrepresenta-
tons of the Republicans, but do not partic-
ularly specify. When it comes to downright
lying and malignant misrepresentation our
Democratic friends insist on time-honored
monopoly. 1t was exceedingly funny to
beat Mckinley in 1890 with a wooden man
by sending around his district counterfeit
TIN peddlerS in ricketty wagons, with bag
of-boneS horses in rope harness, TO circulate
the : melancholy news that three-for-a-
nickel tin cups would cost half a
Dollar a piece as soon as the infamous
NICK inley bill went into force: that
the dear, dear dinner buckets of
the dear laboring men. who are always so
inexpressibly dear to the Democratic bearf
Just before a close election, would be raised
to a dollar apisce. The prolonged mournful
wall and howl OF anguish about real cheap
imported pearl buttons is still DINING in
the ears of a sorely-afflicted people. That
was a real cute, cunning trick, and tickled
the shrewd Democratic statesmen. who i'm
pressed the laboring men with the belief
that his everlasting happiness in this cold
world and his salvation in the realms Of
piss depSndedr solely upon tin cups, dinner
buckets and real cheap imported pearl but
tons. That was all legitimate campaign tao
ticsi but now. when the dinner buckets are
empty, no work, and no wages to fill them
with, and no money to buy shirts with real
imported pearl buttons on them, it is un-
heard of base ingratitude for the poor la
boring man tO forget his tr11lv rood friando
before they had a fair trial of blessed free
trade: cheaper goods and higher wages
promised them by the Chicago platform
and the prophetic Cleveland.
Anything, no matter how monstrously
false. was legitimate in 1892 to carry the
elections and defeat the Republicans, but
now the chickens are coming home to roost.
when they are confronted by very bad con-
ditions instead of rainbow-chasing theories.
the efforts of the national Democratic COM
mittee TO cause the great Homestead strike.
That was the climax of real Democratic
campaign tactics, to stab the Republican
party under the fifth rib, and stab hard.
The people have not yet forgotten the
masterpieces of illustrations furnished all
the Democratic papers by the national COM
mittee of the Carnegie company's shops
surrounded by loop-holed walls, fanked by
grim-looking towers, the approaches sur
rounded by meats, covered by abatis and
other accessories TO give them a formidable
wariike appearance. something like the
| German castle in Midway Plaisance, which
looked very much like, and perhaps was
modelled after, those artistic representa-
tons; and the explanatory text. which told
all about how the fortress was garrisoned
by wicked Republicans with all manner
of death-dealing Instruments. 1t was a
master stroke of campaign genius, and the
Democrats all delightedly chuckled over
the ruSe. There was nothing wrong in
suppressing the report of the congressional
committee which investigated the Home
stead outrages until after the election. be-
cause it was reported that the oppressed
workingmen received from 81 10 $50 per day
wages from the robber tariff barons, and
that there was no rational cause for the
great strike; but il answered a good Demo-
cratic purpose. and that is enough in all
conscience. and it does nod concern. the
Democratic leaders who i~nstigated the
strike, that the poor, deluded fellows whom
except trying TO keep the wolf from their
doors.
There is nothing in the utterances of the
great statesman, not even a suspicion that
some thin-skinned, tine-haired people may
have become Disguised with the scandal
lous office brokerage of the hypocritical
Cleveland administration, which buys votes
for the repeal bill on one hand and pays
debts for campaign contributions with en-
bassadorships, secretaryships, ETC., on the
other; but these captious, hypocritical peo-
pie are always complaining and are even
dissatisfied with the immaculate Democrat
ic party, which has promised TO give them
free trade and make them all happy and
rich.
This truly good Democratic Congress
ought to pass a law declaring it treason
able to talk about hard times, no money,
idle workmen and no brilliant prospects
for anything except suffering and want;
then. in 1894 and 1896. the Democrats will
be ready again TO tell us what they are go
ing 70 do for the country then, and sue
cessfully coddle the laboring men and labor
ORGANIZATIONS until after the elections. Per-
haps it is likely they will catch the gud-
geons once more.
Indianapolis, Nov. II.