The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-17
A DIRTY BUSINESS.
The Theft of the G~Ovcrnorship by the
Democrats of tennessee.

Democrats of Tennessee.
Louisville Commercial.
Mir. H. Clay Evans, the Republican can
didate, was elected Governor of Tennessee
on the face of the returns, and the abiest
Democratic papers in the South, including
al least twenty-one of the strongest Dem
ocratic papers in Tennessee, have denounced
the methods which have been used to keep
nlm out of his seat. The pretense on which
the demand that ne SHAH make a contest
Tor his seat, and rnat ms defeated oppon-
ent SHAH hold over until the contest as de-
clded, is that illegal votes were cast Tor
nm. That is likely, but 1T is very unlikely
that more were cast for him than for his
opponent, whose party had, in the State
anu in "a large majority or its counties,
including all the back counties. the alb
chinery. There is no charge of bdllot-box
stufting or of miscounting. The Tennessee
law requires all voters between twenty-one
and fifty, unless specially exempted, to
produce receipts showing that they have
paid their poll tax before they are allowed
to vote. 1t Is charged that, in republican
counties voters We're not required to pro-
duce their receipts, but a comparison of
the vote with the tax receivers books
shows that in certain Democratic counties
many more votes were cast than the tax
books show were legal. The real reason for
the reckless efforts to keep Judge Turney
in the Governors chair is said to lie in
the fact that he has appointed several coal
oil inspectors, whose fees amount to about
SIP, 1000 a year. with so little work that they
have time to devote to political manage
ment. These inspectors desire to hold over,
and will do so il Governor Turney holds
over. Also certain parties who have en-
tered into contracts to build a penitentiary
to cost 81, 900, 000, for which more appropria-
lions are desirable. 1t is altogether a dirty
business. and the Democratic party in
Tennessee win suffer from the courses
which the worst element of It's machine
management are forcing upon It.
Denounced by n Democratic Paper.
Louisville Courier-Journal
r,bo nap,oorofu who - " in coptro1
at Nashville are singularly shortsighted or
inexcusably bullheaded. They pursue their.
blazed-out course to wreck the party and
disgrace the state. regardless of protest,
appeal or rebuke from the press and people
of Tennessee. who certainly represent its
intelligence and self-respecting sentiment.
And Governor Turney. instead of being a
leader in this emergency, seems to be but
as wax in the hands of selfish partisans,
who are using him to serve their own aims;
. . ' What a different attitude would
Governor Turney occupy to-day if, instead
of doing the bidding, of these men,. he had
repealed their insults, rejected their yoke,
and had firmly told them that he would be
no party to partisan trickery: would leave
and If they persisted in their schemes
against the integrity OF their party and
State that he would place himself; not IN
their ranks as a servant, but at the head
of the honest masses of Democracy as a
leader. determined to vindicate the law and
seat the man chosen b. the voters as
| Governor.
That was a rare opportunity to close an
honorable public career with signal pa
| triot.sm and craftsmanship. 1t would have
left Governor Turney illustrious among
distinguished americans. But as it is-let
us turn away from the contrast!
| we deplore the fall of this old chieftain;
we resent the obloquy which narrow-minded
| politicians are putting upon the Democ-
racy of the Volunteer State; we grieve over
the outrage they are doing the party. Ten
nesseans everywhere are ashamed as they
| read the dispatches from Nashville: Demo-
Gratis all over the Union blush for the deeds
that are there being done in the name of
| Democracy, to De~inocracyss dishonor.