Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 November 1885 — Hendricks, Voorhees and McDonald. [ARTICLE]

Hendricks, Voorhees and McDonald.

Shelhyville Daily Democrat: The Democrat desires to notice again the cry of Gil Shanklin, of the Evansville Courier, that D. W. Voorhees, J. E. McDo. aid and Thomas A. Hendrieks shall retire from the leadership of the Democratic party, and give way to younger men. This proposition seems to be one amongst the most puerile, silly specimens of blattering that we ever saw, read or heard of.— Leadership of a commonwealth or of a great party like the Democratic party, or the Republican party for that matter, is not a matter of choice, so far as‘the wishes of the leader is concerned. Nor is it a matter of his personal necessity. In politics, as in the great material universe, the laws of correlation govern the atoms of the whole structure. As the smaller magnets are drawn to the greater, so are the dependent intellects and politicians attracted hy the brains of their party. As well might the Courier man demand that the sun retire from his abode and let the earth assum the duties or functions of that luminary. The demand that any leader be retired is as futile as to insist that stone shall float upon the surface of the water; that gold is inferior to brass; that lead can take the place of iron; that sand can supply the place of bread, or that cork instead of being floated by water shall float the fluid. It is one of the laws of specific gravitation that cork is lighter than all the fluids except aij* and ether, and when thrown into a volume of flu-

J ids it is destined to fle at at the mercy oLthe waves. As the yawl plays about the ship, keeping within a protective distance, so do the people hang to and idolize the great leaders of public sentiment. The brains and thoughts of such men as Voorhees, Hendricks and McDonald are the 1 read of life to the people of their party, and the oak of the party structure and the rock of its walls. The brains of Sumner, the political genius of Morton, the brilliant tntellect of Seward were the embodiment of one great party in themselves. Great men become great leader* simply because they are in the lead. They are in the lead because they are qualified to enlighten those who seek enlightenment, and whether in politics or out, their wisdom is sought and their advice received by the paople of their party. Joseph E. McDonald t D-day is not in politics, - et the whole Democratic population of Indiana and most every State look to him for advice and influence. How can he be reti 1 ed ? Can a “demand” cause people to lose confidence in him ? Can a mere demand of Mr. Shanklin destroy the brains of Voorhees and the love of Hendricks? Suppose that the Courier should succeed in having these great leaders of the Democracy retired, and should set himself up as the leader in their stead, what would be the result? — The consequence would be that the Democrats would still cling to their idols; they would follow,them through fire to reap the benegt of their counsel. Shanklin’s talk is a stupendous piece of nonsense, and the Democrat only ref rs to it again to show what an egregious ass Mr. Shanklin is making of himself, Hendricks, Voorhees and McDonald will retire from Indiana leadership only when the Almighty beckons them to the shining shore.