The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-27
THE oFF-YEAR FALLscY.

Tie Journal printed yesterday a letter
which 8. NJ Ralston, Democratic candidate
for secretary of state, is sending to Re-
publicans. asking for their votes on the
ground that this is IAN off year" Every
body knows what that means in American
political parlance. 1t means the year mid
way between presidential elections and in
cludes the congressional elections coming
the second year after the election of
President The phrase "off year implies
that the elections coming in this year are
of comparatively little Importance, and con-
sequently the duty of voting right or of
voting at all is less imperative than usual.
A little reflection will show that not only is
this view without reason, but that 1t is dis
creditable to American intelligence and In
dicative of a low standard of civic duty.
First, it implies that an election for Pres
ident is more important than an election
for members of Congress, or, in other
words, that the legislative branch of the
government is less important than the eX-
ecutive. This is not true in fact, and the
theory can only rest on the idea that the
dispensing of official patronage is more i'm
portant than the enactment of laws. If
the time ever comes that majority of the
American people shall regard the appoint
ment of postmasters as more important
than the enactment of sound legislation 1t
will be a sad day for the Republic. Yet
that very thing is implied in the assump-
ton that a presidential election is more
important than an election for congress-
hot
years.
Another reason why this view is radically
wrong is because it implies that the duty
of the people ends when they have elected
President and that they owe nothing TO
him or themselves in the way of giving him
continued support If there is anything in
republican government President is elect
ed because he represents certain principles
and policies and because the people have
confidence in him personally. When they
elect President they declare in favor of
maintaining the principles and policies
which he represents for at least the next
four years, and they virtually pledge him
their confidence and support for that length
Of time, If he remains true to the platform
on which he is elected. How inconsistent.
therefore, how tickle and how unbusiness-
like it is for the people to fall away in two
years from a President they have elected
for four. 1T is equivalent to a confession
that they did not know their own minds
when they charged him with the duty of
administering the government for four years
on certain lines. The ''off-year" idea i'm
plies that the American people do not know
their own minds for four years at a time,
and that they1nust change front politically
every two years. No government can be
successfully administered on that theory.
Such a want of steadiness and fixedness
of purpose is dscreditable to the people
and injurious to the government. Far more
rational is the idea that, having elected a
President for four years on account of the
principles he represents, the Congress elect
ed two years later should represent the
same principles, SO that the administration
Of the government may be the same in the
middle and to the end of his term as the
people decreed it should be a the beginning.
The truth is the whole "off-year'' theory
is wrong in principle and vicious in prtc-
tice- In republican government there is
10 SuCn tnlnS as an unlmpOrtan1 election,
and there should be no such thing as an
"off year" The legislative branch of the
government is as important as the execu-
tive branch, and no Congress is more i'm
portant than the one elected two years after
the President This is not an off year for
any Republican or sound money man who
voted for Mckinley two years ago, unless
he regrets his vote now and wishes to undo
it. 1t is not an off year for any voter who
believes that the successful management of
the war and the splendid achievements Of
our army and navy should be Endorsed. Ii
is not an off year for any voter who be-
lieves that the important questions growing
out of the war should be managed in the
same broad and patriotic spirit that the
war itself was. 1t is not an off year for
any one who believes that the country
should advance with firmness and conf
dence to meet the new responsibilities and
duties that destiny has imposed upon it.
In short, it is not an off year for any
American who has the honor Of the flag
and the welfare of the country at heart.