The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-10
TURPIE.

Probably the Journal hazards nothing In
saying that Senator Turpie is one Of the
most picturesque figures in American poll
tics. 1t would scarcely be amiss to call him
a picturesque ruin, for he is so completely
out of touch with current thought and in
terests and lives so exclusively in the at
mosphere of obsolete Bourbonism which he
carries around with him that he seems
more like survival of a remote political
period than a product Of recent times. His
whole career has been a picturesque Illus
tration of political uselessness, divided be-
tween long periods of Information and OBJ
security, followed by unexpected recognition
from his party and sporadic displays of
kind of political activity quite unique in its
utter lack of sympathy with modern
thought and its vicious opposition to the in
terests of his constituents. His first ap-
pearance in national politics, and a very
fitting one, was as the successor 10 fill
out the unexpired term of a United States
senator who was expelled for disloyalty
early in the civil war. He filled 1t well The
person who was expelled could not better
have represented the Bourbon element of
Indiana Democracy than Mr.. Turpie did. At
the expiration Of that brief term he dsap-
peared from public view and spent several
years of retirement in composing new
speeches in case of need and devising new
methods of political uselessness. By one of
the strangest freaks of politics on record
he was rediscovered in 1887 and again
elected to the United States Senate, carry
ing back with him, after nearly twenty-five
years, the same atmosphere of Bourbon
ism, the same instructive hostility to prog
ress and the same Indifference to the inter-
ests of his constituents with which he en-
tered the chamber. During the interval
the United States and the State of Indiana.
had made wonderful progress, but Mr..
Turpie had simply marked time. In a polit-
ical way he has never done anything else.
For ten years now he has misrepresented
the State in the Senate and has improved
every opportunity to get on the wrong side
Of every national issue in which the State
free-silver agitation he has been one of the
foremost advocates of debasing the currency
and has done his best by his votes and voice
to make the people of the United States
believe that Indiana was in favor of prac-
teal reputation by scaling down the ma
tional debt to the standard of 5O-cent dol
lars. He has maintained this position with
logged stubbornness in utter disregard of
the business interests of the State, and in
defiance Of the wishes of the people as ex-
pressed at the polls In 1895 he Travelled all
the way to Memphis to act as chairman of
free-silver convention, called for the spe-
cial purpose Of booming the cause. The
majority Of 1900 which the people of In
diana gave the next year for sound money
rather intensified his zeal for cheap money.
and from that time to the present he has
improved every opportunity to emphasize
his opposition to the wishes and interests of
the people. He left his place in the Senate
to come home and preside over the Demo-
cratic state convention in June last which
Endorsed William ]. Bryan, the senator him
self and free silver. The Democratic con-
vention in this county instructed its noni-
nees for the Legislature to vote for his re-
election, and he is now engaged in stump
ing the State in the joint interest of him
self and free silver He is an issue in this
campaign as distinctly as if he had already
received the Democratic caucus nomination
for senator. To all intents and purposes he
mas, and il the Democrats should carry
the Legislature he will undoubtedly he re-
elected
Tne Journal has so much confidence in the
intelligence. the honesty and the political
morality Of the people of Indiana that it
believes when they grasp the significance of
the situation they will exert themselves to
defeat Mr.. Turpie. They cannot afford 10
De represented in the United States Senate
any longer by man who openly opposes
the best interests of the State and Nation.
and who will vote against every measure
In support of President McKinlev's war
poiicy The way to defeat Turpie is to de-
Ieat the Democratic candidates for the Leg
lsiature Sound money Democrats should
understand that vote for Democratic
candidate for the Legislature is a vote for
Turpie, and Republicans should understand
that failure to vote the Republican legis-
iative ticket amounts to about the same
thing. The honor and interests of the state
demand his defeat, and the way to do it Is
TO elect Republican Legislature