The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-05
ARE you A REPUBLICAN.

L
ARE YOU A REPUBLICAN.
| Are you a Republican? If so, why? Is it
because you believe in the principles for
which the party stands? And is it not also
because, as rule, you have found that
| Republicans in Office have given 20 the peo-
| pie better and cleaner administrations than
| Democrats? Assuming, of course. that these
| questions are answered affirmatively. what
then is the thing for you to do in casting
your vote for mayor next Tuesday?
In the campaign about to close in this
city the greatest efforts of the Democrats
| have been directed toward the winning of
| Republican votes. Why? Because the party
leaders realize fully that in order for them
| to be successful they must win them in
| large numbers. The city of indianapolis, as
it stands to-day. is Republican on fair
vote by good majority. The defeat of
the Bryan ticket by 5000 plurality last fall
| left the Democracy with but one hope Of
| political resurrection and that forlorn one.
| In order to stand even a ghost of a show of
| success hereafter so far as Marion county
| is concerned, they must, of necessity, carry
| this city this fall, and in their extremity
| for candidate who is not in every way
discredited in advance they put forth Mr.,
| Taggart-( "Oily Tom')-the man who says
| Good Lord" to the anointed and GOOD
Devil' to the Boo gang; who rides in the
carriage with Bryan and counsels in the
back room with Holt and Frenzel; who is
fish on Friday and beef on every other day
of the week; who convinces the ministers
of his holiness. and has for his trusted
agents the Posters, the Heiers and the
F'lynns; who has for each and everyone Of
these the same greeting, the same argu-
ment the same guarantee of good faith
the Taggart smile. This mans name is put
at the head of the ticket with "All things
| to all men, as the real platform and Re-
| publicans are asked to vote it in order to
sustain the plea II the independent organs
| that this particular brand of independence
| is the proper kind of politics. One day the
organs shrek that Mr.. Harding is "the
| candidate of the machine" the next they
| howl that the same machine is opposed to
his election. Granting for the sake of argu-
ment that there is Republican machine,
| simple justice demands that it be stated
| that no mans nomination was ever freer
| from machine dictation than that of Mr..
| Harding, and the same regard for truth
| prompts the statement that never in the
| political history of this city has any man
| in any party been so completely the crea-
| ture of the machine as has Mr.. Taggart.
| He and his associates made the Democratic
machine and fostered it until it became his
absolute master. 1t had for its makers
| Thomas Taggart and John E. Sullivan. In
| Sulivan's lamented absence it has to-day
| for it's creature Mr.. Tom Taggart.
The evening organ sneeringly refers to
the Republican nominee as Newt Hard
| ing If ever man did business on the easy
familiarity with which the boys deal with
his name it is Tom" Taggart. That is
really all there is to it, that he is Tom"
to everybody "OiIy Tom says Bill Flynn.
| AS for Mr.. Harding, he has~1ived in this
| community ever since he was born. His life
| has been open book and every page is
| free from blot of any kind. He has held
but one public office-that of prosecutor,
and at the expiration of his term both of
the organs which are now opposing his
election for mayor gave him the highest
| LII plO1SSSiOIl Ac IDS
always held an enviable position. Personal
| ly, he has the respect of all who know him,
| and politically he is a sound Atwood, yard
wide Republican. Nothing in his past career
and nothing in his environment or associa-
ton will warrant the suspicion that he will
make other than an honest, conscientious
mayor if elected.
AS for Mr.. Taggart, nobody will claim
that he is not good fellow" That Is his
stock in trade That he has made a good
mayor the Journal denies, and the public
| records sustain the denial. He has no claim
whatever on the taxpayers of this city For
more than ten years he has been under
| salary from the public and there never has
| been a day or an hour of that time when
he has not been working for the defeat and
| the discourag cement of the Republicans
| whether he was allied to the gold, silver,
! wide-open or air-tight wings of the Democ-
| racy. No Democrat ever appealed for Re-
publican assistance with poorer grace than
| does Mr.. Taggart. What does the result of
next Tuesdays election mean? 1t means
| that with the defeat of Taggart the cam
| paign of 1898 is practically closed in favor
| Of the Republican ticket The defeat of Mr..
| Taggart means the utter humiliation of
Democratic hope for the next general cam
| paign in this county. His election will in
spire his party with new hope awaken it
| to renewed effort. Republican success in
| Marion county means a Republican major
ity in the Legislature, and the election of
a Republican United States senator. If the
N. i
| ferior to his opponent in mental caliber or
in business capacity the appeals for Re
publican support on the part of the indie
| pendent Taggart organ might be made with
some reason. But in both respects Mr.
Harding is Mr.. ,Taggarts superior. This be-
ing true, what is the Republican voter 10
| do about it?
ACHIEVING FINANCIAL INDEPEND-
ENCE.