The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-04-18
THE TRUE SPIRIT.


The democrats Of Minnesota have
drawn the attention of the whole coun-
try by ringing address on the present
| political situation It is one that ought
| to be put into the hands of every demo-
crat and every tariff reformer in the
country. 1t does not mince words. 1t
attempts no foolish concealment of facts.
1t epitomizes the situation in these
words:
In less than two years after winning
| ever won, while yet in full possession Of
| the powers then given US, we present the
| appearance Of a defeated party, while
| our opponents routed in that battle
! wear all the airs of victory. What has
! wrought this astounding change?
! Whence comes this peril? Not from our
| open opponents; not from the brawling
( horde Of protectionists whom we met and
| overthrow in 1892; but from malignant
| and treacherous influences. allied with
! weakness and Cowardice, within our own
| ranks. The danger that observant men
| saw when the election of 1892 put on our
| party the responsibility of directing ma
| tiOnal affairs and the duty Of redeeming
the pledge of tax reform made to and ac-
| cepted by the people, then cloud no
/ larger than mans hand, has overspread
! the whole sky.
The timid may think it unwise to
speak thus plainly. but the statement is
true and the. democratic party must
face the truth. The address puts the re-
| sponsibility where it belongs. After re-
| ferring to the moderation of the house
bill and the concessions it made to pro-
| tected interests for the sake of harmony,
it says:
| The concessions made in the house only
! whetted the appetite and fired the au-
! dacity OF the protected interests. With
| renewed energy they concentrated their
| efforts on the smaller body, further
moved from the people. less responsible
! to them and more impeIViouS TO public
! opinion. To our shame and dismay they
| found senators, representing democratic
! constituencies which had denounced pro-
/ lection and demanded its obliteration
| from our taxing policies, willing to aid
| them. In the secrecy of the committee
! rooms these senators browbeat the sub
| committee with threats of open opposi-
| ton to the bill. unless the special in
| dustries which they represented were
] also granted protection or given increase
of it. There was a weak surrender to
| the demands of these attorneys Of the
! trusts
That is true-every word of it. 1t can
not possibly be disguised. The whole
| country knows it, and understands that
tariff reform is checked now not by the
wish of the democratic party, nor by
/ the will of the large majority
| Of the democratic senators and rep
| resentatives, but by little handful of
mercenaries who are ready to barter
honor and principle for personal advan-
tage. Is this a time to faIter or turn
! back? The Minnesota democrats say no.
They say:
| But, democrats. be not discouraged or
| disheartened. The heart Of the great
| mass Of party beats as true as ever
| Remember that every 81 eat cause has
had its traitors. every great struggle for
| greater freedom has had its checks from
| the treachery of men whom il had
| trusted, and be strengthened for the
| greater struggle before us by the insplr-
| ing thought that in the battles Of the
| masses for freedom against privilege and
/ intrenched power the right has ever
! come uppermost
Reflect that all the freedom we have
| today we enjoy because our ancestors
| have risen from defeats, have survived
J the treachery of comrades and through
| all have kept the rudder true" and let
| the thought nerve you TO further effort,
| that you may give your children an in
| creased measure of liberty, A few trait
! ors in the councils can not defeat the
/ cause for which we have fought for
! years, and in which we won the victory
of 1892. Chagrined, we are dismayed; be-
| trayed we are not disheartened; checked,
| we will not surrender.
| Nowhere let there be tagging or falter-
| ing. Everywhere let democrats deter
mine and proclaim that this freedoms
| battle once begun shall not end until
1 every citizen of our republic shall be
secure in the untrammeled right TO buy
/ what he will, where he will and Of whom
| he will: exchanging without let or him
| drance the products of his labor for those
| Of his fellOw-laborers anywhere in the
| wide world
And this is what Indiana democrats
say. and will say Tariff reform in this
state was no mere cry for campaign pur-
| poses 1t is a principle that has taken
thorough hold on the minds and con-
sciences of the people, and we believe
that every honest tariff reformer has
! in his heart now a determination to fight
more earnestly than ever for that prln-
ciple. The senate amendments are the
work of the same hydra-headed combi-
nation Of tariff benefcisries that we have
been lighting for years. The fact that
they have entered our camp and bought
tip some of our leaders is no reason why
we should detest them less or oppose
them less. Did the revolutionary army
surrender because Benedict Arnold went
over to the English? Far from it. They
| faced the enemy with greater determina-