Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 May 1890 — ILLINOIS DEMOCRATS. [ARTICLE]

ILLINOIS DEMOCRATS.

WHY THET HOPE TO CABRT THE STATE THIS FALX. Republican Revolt Against the Tariff— Disintegration in the Ranks of the Party of Protection Thousands of Voting Farmers Organized Landslides. [From the Chicago Daily News. Ind. Rep.] Illino a Democrats are breathing an atmosphere of great confidence. Thev believe they can carry the State and elect a State Treasurer and a State Superintendent of Public Instruction. These hopes are based on what they consider tangible evidences of Democratic roinvigoration and Republican demoralization. To carry Illinois in an off year would not be extraordinary. Henry Raab, a Democrat, was elected Superintendent of Public Instruction in 18s2, and Orendorff was defeated for Treasurer by only about S.UUO votes. REPUBLICANS ARE UNHAPPY. Republicans do not deny that their pirty is honeycombed with dissatisfaction that in many portions of the State amounts todis ntegration. This is due in some degree to dissatisfaction with President Harrison. His administration has not pleased the bread-winners—the men wbo produce the results at elections. They do not say he is a bad President. They 6imply complain that he is a poor party leader. There is no blood in the party, no enthus ; asm. In addition, there is a wide-spread discontent among the farmers. Farm products are below the cost of production. Agricultural prosperity is dwindling. The situation is much the same as it was in the pinching times of the early ’7os, when the grange and greenback movements were seized upon as a solution of hard times. Added to this is the growth of trusts, the compact organization of monopolies, the steadily rising and baleful domination of the manufacturing, commercial, and financial elements of the country. The farmers feel the pressure due to a want of prosperity, and iu their endeavors to free themselves are disposed to strike at the powers that be.

DEMANDS FOR TARIFF REFORM. During the last year over one hundred tariff-reform clubs have been organized in the State. These embrace both Republicans and Democrats. They are nonpartisan. A distinct and determined effort has been made by the organizers of these clubs to keep them out of politics and to keep politics out of them. This is so pronounced that but little information concerning them is obtainable for use in treating of the political situation.' It is reliably asserted that these clubs now embrace at least thirty thousand members. These inembers are all posted on tariff-reform matters They are aggressive and always re idy to point out how the existing depression of agricultural interests is due to the protective-tariff policy —the policy of the Republican party. These 80,000 tariff reformers are mainly agriculturists or men dependent upon agricultural prosperity for their livelihood. This element must have greet effect wherever the question of tariff reform becomes an issue in the campaign. THE FARMERS’ ALRIANOE. In addition to this the Farmers’ Alliance has taken a deep root in twenty or thirty of the northern and central counties of the State. Its membership amounts to somewhere near 20,000. These are all farmers. The alliance embraces. it is believed, more Republicans than Democrats. Its purpose is to discuss economic questions. This brings in the tariff, monopolistic and tiust questions—all of them leading-strings .awuy from the Republican fold. The Farmers’ Mutual BenefibAssociation has a strong hold in about forty counties in the southern or Democratic' fmrtion of the State. Th,is association is ess devoted to the discussion of economio questions than the alliance, but its membership is Composed of farmers who btudv the relation of the agriculturist to the remainder of the pro due ng world. It opposes national banks. It complains that the agriculturists with less than one-third of the taxable wealth of the State pay one-half the taxes of the State. To remedy this the association demafids the repeal ot, all class legislation which gives to some industries artificial aid at the expense ; of the other industries, The association demands more currency, and especially the free coinage of silver. It demands a wholesale reduction of tariff duties on all articles of necessity and a wholesale iacrease of duties on all luxuries. It demands a tax on great incomes. It demands of the Legislature a law making 6 per cent, the legal rate of interest; a law providing school-books at cost, and a law providing for the Australian system of voting. It denounces the State Bo <rd of Equalization as “a process of legal robbery” operated in f ivor of the corporations against the small tax-payers. A STRONG ORGANIZATION. This organization has an enormous strength, estimated at from 50,000 to 40,000 voters. It runs co-operative stores and is compact and united. All its doctrinal teaching leads away from the Republican party. In many Senatorial districts it will run candidates for the Legislature without regard to Republican or Democratic nominations. In the very nature of things, however, it will find itßelf more in alignment with Democratic than with Republican policy. In other words, it may agreeably fraternize with the Democrats. It is impossible to see how it can consistently fraternize with the Republicans. Taking these three orgnn'zatioas togethfei- they aggregate ne rly 100,000 voters. They indicate a revolt—a revolt against the existing order of things, especially the high protective tauff. This may not make them a Democratic organization, but.it does make them a a antiRepulibcau organization; and anything that impairs Republican unity imoerils Republican success. The Democratic State campaign managers watched the result of the spring elections with a great deal of interest. Since the election a careful analysis of the results has been made. This analysis, they claim, indicated extraordinary Democratic gains. Elections were held the Ist of April in all the counties under township organization. There are over eighty of those counties. More than half of them usually—in fact, regularly —elect Republican Boards of Supervisors. A DEMOCRATIC liAXDSJjID'E. This spring there was a Democratic landslide and sixty-five counties elected

•Democratic boards. Thie is something that has not occurred ainoe the war. To show tbe character of these victories individual counties «re instanced. Champaign County, it is said, never before this spring elected a Democratic board. Piatt has nearly always been Republican, bat this year it elected a Democratic board. De Witt County, almost always Republican, went Democratic. Every county in Congtessm»n Cannon's district, with but a single exception, elected Democratic bo irds. They have been regularly Republican heretofore. In Congressman Rowell’s district, strongly Republican, it was much the same way. Decatur, usually Republican by 800, elected a Democratic Lity Council. Livingston County, in Congressman Paysons district, heretofore overwhelmingly Republican, elected a Democratic board. Jo Daviess and Stephenson Counties went the same way. Several counties in Congressman Gest’s district reversed the political complexion of tbe county boards. Resides these facts the Demoorats claim there was a gain all along the line, especially in the agricultural districts. This, they assert, is indicative of a landslide in the same direction next November.