The Indianapolis journal., 1893-12-13
A HUMILIATING CONFESSION.

1t has been one of the peculiarities of the
active managers of the Democratic party
that they have not only offered rewards
to deserters from the Republican camp,
were morally and intellectually superior to
the born-in-the-party members Of the or
ganization. Genuineness of biown-in-the-
glass-of-the-bottle order is esteemed in ev-
er-thing but Democracy by Democratic
managers. The convert is always welcomed
by all associations in which numbers are
esteemed, but, with the exception of the
Democratic party. all associations hold the
newcomer in check and administer reproof
to him if he forgets that essential fact. The
Democratic party unless it Is very strong,
places the convert in the seat of honor and
rewards him with the best there is in the
house The result has been that when
class Of Republicans who have got the idea
that the party exists for the sole purpose
of doing their bidding, and have become
disgruntled. they make for the Democratic
camp, sure OF welcome and reward. Some
times they make a pretext that they are
not in accord with the policy of the Repub-
lican party. but ali intelligent people know
that it is because the party has not been
so in accord with them as to give them
ferring Republicans has stimulated deser-
ton from the ranks of the would-be lead
ers of the Republican party. In this State
and in every other State the list of the men
honored by the Democratic party contains
many who, in their earlier years. denounced
that party as an aggregation of all sorts of
wickedness.
The fact that, these Republican deserters
have been called to the best places in the
Democratic party leads to the belief that
the party managers. who are responsible
for the policy of placing the newcomers
in the seats of honor. do so because they
consider these cast-offs of the Republican
organization much superior TO the av-
erage Democrat. When a former Repub-
but once, is nominated for a nrst-class po-
sition by Democrats, the inference is that
man who has been a Republican all his
life is better fitted for the office than
man who has not only been a Democrat
himself all his life. but whose father and
grandfather were Democrats. When ex-
he 10
candidate for Lieutenant-Governor. soon
after his leaving the Republican party, it
was presumably done by the Democratic
leaders because he was better qualified for
the position or stood better than any orig
inal Democrat. When Mr.. Cleveland called
Judge Gresham. who had never voted but
one Democratic ticket, to be Secretary of
State, the country was forced to the con-
clusion that Mr.. Cleveland could not find in
all the land Democrat of national repu-
tation so well qualified for the office as this
man, whose chief attribute was that he
had been honored by Republicans. 1t must
have been a humiliating confession for the
intelligent portion of the Democratic party,
but they cannot escape it. For twenty-five
years, by making leaders of Republican de-
serters ambitious Cor office, Democratic
managers have been declaring to the coun-
try that such men are, in their estimation
superior to old-time Democrats. Perhaps
the elevation of deserters has of late be-
come unpopular with Democrats. The last