The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-07-04
PLATFORM AND PRINCIPLE.

The relation OF a legislator 10 MS PAL y
has usually been considered a represen-
tatiye one This is supposed to be
government of the people. and as Judge
Cooley recently said, in discussing the
Coxey movement, the only way in which
the people can speak is through their
representative Formerly each candi-
date for congress used to issue his per-
sonal manifesto setting forth his posi-
ton on various party questions, but in
these later days of party government
the party declaration is supposed to be
sufficient. Occasionally a candidate an
nounces his disagreement with the
avowed principles of his party, but if he
does not do SO, he is supposed to in
dOrse the principles of the party whose
nomination he has accepted, and on
whose support he relies. 1t was, there
fore, somewhat startling when Senator
Vest, in defending his vote for a duty
on coal, disavowed this principle in the
following vigorous expression of senti-
ment:
1 remember once IN the senate, after
national convention of the republican
party had declared for a service pension
q think it was some eight or ten years
ago., when the bill was reported by the
then senator from Kansas, Mr.. ingalls,,
not now a member eft this body. just be-
fore presidential election, and those
of us on this side, who had differed with
our brethren on the other side in the
late war, felt ourselves cOerced into 81
lnnna nv of 10 No
had occupied L remember very we'll
when the proposition from the commit
tee was reported by Mr.. ingalls,, / con-
cluded it would Immediately pass, be-
cause the national convention of the re-
publican party had declared for ii, and
because the trend Of events and of pop
ular opinion was in that direction.
1 never had more respect for any pub
lie man in my life than for the senator
from Ohio now sitting before me (A1r
Sherman), with whom 1 differ as rad
ically as I do from any man living,
when ne arose in his seat, and, amidst
profound silence opposed the passage
of the bill, and he uttered the sentence
TO be found in the Congressional Rec
ord: "Alr. President, / say that no po-
lfrical party can govern my action as a
senator of the United States in making
laws for the people"
l would no more hesitate here today
to ignore the declaration of a convention
Of the democratic party Of the United
States in regard to a law l considered
inimical to the best interests of the peo-
pie of this country, than l would to
tear into atoms a piece of blank paper.
1t would be difficult to disag gree with
this high moral sentiment on purely
moral grounds, but there will be many
persons who will hesitate to believe that
senators vote for concessions to lawless
organizations on any such grounds. And
more than this, whatever may be the real
reasons that impel senator to vote for
such a scandalous imposition as a duty
on COAL 1t must be remembered that one
who takes the position of Senator Vest
puts himself where he is obliged to de-
fend the tax as right in principle and in
practice. Any democratic senator who
goes to his constituents and endeavors
to defend the enormities of the present
tariff bill on principle will find very
cool reception. At least he will in In
diana, and we presume the people of
the other states are not so deficient in
intelligence as to make the situation
elsewhere much different. A democratic
senator may possibly defend himself on
the ground that he was forced into sup
port Of the bill to secure any tariff leg
islation, but the senator who undertakes
to defend this legislation as right and
nropar &c