The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-19
HOW Ir WILL WORK.

History repeats itself. particularly In
regard to the blunders Of mankind. For
example, silver Democrats and SELF
seeking asplrants for Congress who have
been Republicans, Populists. Green
hackers. etc., imagine tina they can car
ry the strong Republican districts In this
State by nominating men who nave been
Republicans or Populists, and thereby
draw enough votes from the Republic
ans who may be inclined to free coinage
to elect them. In districts ~ which the
Democrats have a hope Democrats alone
will run. This scheme has been tried
time and again, and has failed. When
Horace Greeley became the Demo-Lao-
eral Republican candidate for President
combinations were made In most OF the
strong Republican districts by nominat-
ing Liberal Republicans to run against
the regular candidates When that COM
bination was flushed with the certainty
Of the defeat Of the Republicans and a
third of the party in the country was
believed to have been enrolled under the
Greeley standard a popular and infiuen-
tiel Liberal Republican was named
against Mr.. Blaine. who had made him-
self particularly obnoxious to the Greeley
element. He made a thorough
The election in Maine took place In Sep
TENDER. and was consequently the first
real test of the strength of the two par
ties In a Northern State. When the
votes were counted in the Blaine dis
trict he was not only ahead OF the pop
ular candidate for Governor on the same
ticket, but his opponent ran hunoreds
behind the Democratic candidate for
that Office. For every Republican who
voted for the liberal candidate w Dem
ocrats voted for Mr.. Blaine. The same
thing was tried In several States that
year. with the same result. when the
Greenback craze was at its height at
tempts were made all over the country
10 combine against the Republican can
didates in strong Republican districts by
taking as a candidate some former Re-
publican. In nine cases In ten the COM
bination failed because the voters OF the
old parties could not be persuaded 10
support such combinations.
At the outset such combinations al
ways seem invjncible. but when men
have time to think them over they usual
Nv reject them. II the presidential elec-
ton of 1872 had been held a month after
the Democratic national convention IN
dorsed Horace Greeley it is probable that
he would have been elected, because
there was an apparent stampede. About
that time the Democratic and Greeley
papers filled their columns with The
names Of prominent Republicans who
| had declared against General Grant As
the months passed and sincere men had
| time to think the matter over these
prominent Republicans" who were
| chiefly disappointed place eekers. a
no following. They became generals
without armies. When the votes were
| counted Mr.. Greeley was worse than
| beaten. Few Republicans voted for him,
while thousands of Democrats, forced to
vote for a Republican or not vote at all,
| either took to the woods on election day
or assumed the right to make their W
| choice between two candidates who had
| always been Republicans.
1t will turn O u hat way this year;
| more Democrats who believe in the i'm
p~ortance Of a sound currency will vote
for a sound-money Republican than Re-
publicans who will desert their party to
vote for a renegade Republican. History
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