The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-10-11
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Buneou
FREDERIC ). HAsKIN, Directos.
washington, D. O.
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS.
Thc Haxes-Tilden Pace oh 1aTe.

Washington, d. C., Oct, S.-With
! the Inauguration of Rutherford B.
States in 1877 the eleven years Reign
of Terror in the southern states came
to an end. Violent anarchy, supported
by bayonets of the United States
| troops, and utter defiance of law by
the government at Washington,
brought Mr.. Hayes to the presidency.
Be 1t said to his everlasting credit that
he did despise the bridge that carried
him over and that he restored free
government in the states of the south.
The Hayes inauguration marked the
end of the most furiously fought polit-
zeal and politico-legal contest this
country has ever seen. To begin with,
only eleven years had elapsed since the
end of the Civil War, and the Demo-
cratic party was accused by every Re-
publican orator of desire to restore
, the dead Confederacy. Against this
charge the Democrats pleaded their
loyalty to the flag and sent Deme-
cratic Union generals over the country,
binding. Fires of partisapship
burned fiercely, and while they added
to the heat of the campaign, other
factors decided its outcome,
The panic of 1879 had plunged the
country into financial distress and
business depression such as it had not
known before. Jay Gould was teach
ing Wall Street some tricks that have
not been wholly forgotten. The differ
ence in value between the greenback
and gold dollar was the basis OF the
widest speculation. in which the
common people" invariably got the
| worst end of the bargain. These bust
ness conditions caused the people to
want a change for the sake of a
change. The Filden Democracy prom-
tsed the resumption of specie pay
ments and an end to business distress.
The scandals of the Grant admins
tratioH, which had resulted in the
Greeley detection Of 1879. had in
creased Instead of diminished. The
famous whisky ring" had been ex-
posed, and a. scapegeat OF two was on
the way to the penitentiary., The sec
retary of war, Belknap, was i'm
peached. and escaped conviction only
| by resigning under fire. Said the
Democratic platform, the work of TIL
den and Watterson:
A Hot Platform.
when the annals of the republic
show the disgrace and censure of a
vice president; a late speaker of the
house of Representatives marketing his
rulings as a presiding officer; three
senators prefiting secretly by their
votes as lawmakers; five chaiFmen of
the leading committees of the house
| Of representatives exposed in jobbery:
late secretary of the treasury forging
balances in the public accounts; a late
attorney general misappropriating
public funds; a secretary of the navy
enriched or enriching friends by per-
centages levied off the profits of con-
tractors with his department.; an am
| bassador to England eensured in dis
honorable speculation; the presidents
| private secretary barely escaping con-
Yiction upon trial for guilty completely
| In frauds upon the revenue, a secre-
| tary of war impeaehed for high crimes
| a NJ e. af,a Sfr
| ten is complete that the first step In
reform must be the peoples choice of
| honest men from another party, lest
| the disease of one political organiza-
ton infect the body polite, fnd lest
| by making no change of meN or par
ties, we get ne change of -4neasures
| and no real FefoFm,n
Upon this line the Democrats fought
| their battle. It is useless, perhaps, TO
| go undertaking into the past to tell
] suffice to say that neither before nor
since in the history of the country has
| the faint OF graft been SO noiSome at
the seat ef-the federal government
The Democrats nominated Samuel
j. Tilden for president. after sharp
but unequal contest In which Thomas
A. Hendricks eff Indiana was his lead
| ing opponent. Hendricks was named
for vice president.
Blaine Beaten.
| The Republicans met at Cincinnati.
| James G. Blaine was the general fav-
orite for the nomination, and but for
| the ehieanery of the administration
would have been selected. Blaine had
already become the popular idol OF
! the Republicans. He was, placed in
nomination at Cincinnati BY the elo-
,auent Robert G. Ingersell in the fam
Nous speech which gave Blaine the
| name eff THE Plumed knight" On
| ircf h0I u Ne.
| ex-governor of Ohio, stood fifth. His
| eolorless, although -blameless record
| caused him to be selected as the fav-
| orite dark horse, and he received the
| nomination on the seventh ballet. al
tho Blaine had more votes than on
| any ether count.
| Hayes was held UP by the Republic
cans as absolutely pure and holy, a
man who would clean the Augean
stables at washington If they needed
cleaning. which the Republicans firm
ly deelined to admit.
Tilden was represented as a true re-
| former with reform record. He had
broken the rule of the Tweed ring in
New York, the NEST corrupt political
| machine ever known in the country up
to that time, he had run Boss Tweed
out ef the country, and he was the
hero OF the good government forces
To the Democrats the slogan Turn
| the rascals out!" meant just the same
as Let Tilden in!'
There was another factor in the
| campaign which had its effect. One
of the chief causes Of the Liberal Re-
publican bolt of 1872 was the fear that
| General Grant was too much of Iaili-
| tary man to sympathize with civil
| government. The whole South was
| ruled with bayonets and the southern
people were>in a worse condition than
when the war closed. Carpet-baggers
were running the state gevernfnents
ana with the aid of legislatures com
posed of ignorant negroes and unprin-
eipled white men, were Fastening the
day of absolute bankruptcy. BY 1875
half of the southern states had restor-
ed peace and law. but In many the
| bayonet still held sway and the Fed
eral troops were forcing a corrupt
| government upon the people The
North did not sympathise with this
state Of affairs