The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-11-12
GREATEST OF THE VICTORIES.


Remarkable as nave been the Repub-
lican triumphs this year, none of them
can be more emphatic than the victory
achieved by the Republicans of Indiana.
1t is not so much that a Democratic
plurality Of 1000 in 1892 has peer
changed to a Republican plurality of
5000 as the conditions under which the
victory was achieved. Nearly two-thirds
OF the counties were under Democratic
control. and as large a proportion of the
township trustees were of that party.
The congressional districts were so
formed as to mass the greater part of
the Republican counties with large ma
~jorities in two districts and the others
were so placed that ordinarily with a
majority of $4,000 in the State at large,
a majority of the congressional delega-
ton would be Democratic. The legisla-
tive a-pportionment was even a more
shameless gerrymander thar the con-
gressional. nearly $4,000 Republicans be-
ing practically disfranchised in the cleo
ton OF Senator's and Representatives.
Every position in the State government
was held by a Democrat and every
crossroads postmaster was a Democratic
Furthermore. the Indiana Democracy
was united. The convention which
named the State ticket was the most
harmonious the party has held for
years. It's platform was skillfully de-
signed to catch and hold all the voters
the party ever had in Indiana.
1t was this intrenched and united par
ty that the Republicans had to fight in
Indiana. 1t was a fight of party against
party. There were no side issues; the
battle was. fought with the issues and
the records of the two parties as
weapons of warfare. In New York it
was different. From the day that Cleve-
land and Hill became prominent in New
York there have been two factions
which have come to distrust and hate
each other as foes to be slaughtered
The success of Hill as candidate for
Governor would have made the arch
enemy of the President the foremost
man in the Democratic party. The anti
snappers not only drew $4,000 votes from
Hill, but doubtless many of them voted
for Morton. The refusal of the Presi-
den to indorse Hill undoubtedly cost
him several thousand votes. Again,
early in the yea the Lexow committee
of the New York Senate began laying
bare the astounding iniquities of Tam
many. continuing week after week until
its corruption and crimes have attracted
the attention of the whole country.
These revelations greatly strengthened
the Republican party in New York in
the late election, and the signal triumph
in that State is due not a little to those
potent causes.
There is no disposition on the part Of
the Journal to undervalue the brilliant
victory of the Republicans in New York,
but it simply claims, when all the con-
ditions are considered, that no more de-
cisive victory was won by the Repub-
licans in any State last Tuesday than
was won in Indiana. Indeed. so great
were the odds against the Republicans
in Indiana hat ii was the only State of
the larger ones concerning which there
was an expression of general doubt as
to the result ON the part of politicians
throughout the country. All knew that
a Republican plurality of 20, 900. with one
ranch of the Legislature and a bare
majority Of the congressional delega-
tion. would be an unlocked for achieve
ment. A plurality of 46. 600, both
branches of the Legislature and the en-
tire delegation to Congress makes the
Republican victory in Indiana one of the
most emphatic in a season of UMPIRE
cedented victories.