Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 November 1888 — WILL IT BE A CLEAN SWEEP? [ARTICLE]

WILL IT BE A CLEAN SWEEP?

Stark county now claims the banner for increase of Republican vote. The increase is 15 per cent., which is the largest we have yet heard of. A fall list of the members of both houses, of the next Indiana Legislatures will be found on one of our inside pages. Alifo the v full vote of the state, by counties, for Governor. Chicago voted against Harrison and St. Louis voted against Cleveland. It is safe to say that Chicago will not get the next Republican convention nor St. Louis the next Democratic convention. John.C. O’Conner made a splendid race for Senator in Carroll, White and Pulaski counties, and lie failed of election he eut the majority by which the former senator, Mr. Sellers, was elected in 1884, from 671 down to 16 9 . _____ It is now stated that Cleveland has a majority of the popular vote of the whole country of 24,000. What signifies a popular majority ,11. an election where the Republican vote was practically suppressed in half a dozen states? With a free election and a fair count, all over the country, Harrison’s popular majority would have been ten times what is now claimed for Cleveland. -

Many Democratic papers in this state are now making a vociferous howl for a reform in election laws and methods, in Indiana. That their demand is entirely hypocritical and insincere is clearly evident from the fact that not one of them ever makes the slightest allusion to that sum of all election villianies, that impassible barrier to all fair elections, the infamous Gerrymander. That Democratic scheme of disfranchisement whereby the Democratic minority in tins state 1 has defeated the will of the people and elected .ten out of thirteen Congressman, and secured control of both houses of the State Legislature, by overwhelming majorities. The repeal of that infamous act and the re-adjustment of the Congressional and Legislative districts oii a just and honest basis is the first and indispensible step towards election reform in Indiana. All other abuses compared with that are the ineiest trifles. When Democrats begin to denounce the Gerrymander then sensible people will begin to think there is some truth and sincerity in their demands for reform—and not until them The perfection of the Democrat-ic-Gerrymander, in Indiana, as a means of political disfranchise-' 1 ment, is made very apparent by the result of the congressional elections, of this year. The total Republican Congressional vote was 264,556. The total Republican Congressional vote was 259,965, a Republican plurality of 4,57 L Yet

of the Thirteen Congressmen in the state, the Democrats' have elected ten and [the Republicans only three. xIn other words the Republicans have three Congressmen for 204,55(p votes, or one Congressman foj; each 88,185 votes; while the Democratsliave ten Congressmen for 259,965 votes, or one Congressmen for each 25,996 ,vptes. C, In the choice of Congressmen in this state 25,965 Democrats have as much power as 88,185 Republicans; or stated in its simplest forud, one Democrat has more votes than three Republicans. The same tale of Democratic villiany is told by the figures of the pluralities. Thus in the ton disdripta which have elected Democratic Congressmen the pluralities are: First District, 20; Second, 1884; Third 3074; Fourth 738; Fifth 704, Seventh 1724; Eighth 69; Eleventh 475; Twelfth 1111; Thirteenth 355. Total pluralities for ten Democratic Congressman, 10,157. Average plurality for each Democratic Congressman 1015.

In the three -.districts which have chosen Republican Congressmen the pluralities are: Sixth District, 9,122; Ninth, 4,450; Tenth 1,156, Total pluralities for three Republican Congressmen, 14,728. Average plurality for each Republican Congressman, 4,909.

- Judge Albion W. Tourgee, the distinguished author, has been doing powerful work for the Republican cause, all through the campaign, by a series of weekly articles published igjthe Chicago Inter-Ocean, under the caption of “A Bystander’s Notes.” In the last articles of the series, published last Saturday, the Judge discusses the question of whether the incoming Republican administration will make an instantaneous clean sweep of Democratic officeholders. What Mr. Tourgee says upon this subject, is entitled to serious consideration by all Republicans. and we herewith reprint it, entire: ~ In the wild clamor for subordinate positions there seems to be an idea that a Republican President is going to repeat the yury crime we have charged against the Democracy, and make a clean sweep. Such a result is simply incredible. The man who made the seventy-nine speeches that fell from General Harrison’s lips during the campaign could not s make such a blunder if be tried. L=.—~ r It would seem probable, howare certain classes of Democratic office-holders who who may as well get ready to walk the plank as soon after the 4th of next March as their cases can properly be attended to. These are:

1. Men who have shown themselves notoriously incompetent, or whose personal characters are such as to unfit them for public positions. 2. Those who have prostituted their official positions to promote partisan ends, or decapitated their subordinates because of their political affiliations. By this Bystander does not mean that Mr Harrison should remove any -ffian for mere partisan activity, such as attending caucues and conventions. It is a mistake to suppose that the official should cease to be a citizen, or should subordinate his duty as a citizen to his duty as an officer. 3. Those Democrats who forced their way into official positions before the expiration of the incumbents’ term must naturaly expect to be fed out of the same spoon. It is a good time to make a punctual application of that largest and best principal of civil service reform, which is not formulated in any statute, that a man who is appointed to an office is entitled to hold it until the expiiation of his term, unless another was thrust out pending an unexpired term to make room for him. In that event the American people will see his head adorning a charger without a word of regret. But every man who came in by expiration of another’s term, who is a good officer, except in confidential positions, should be confirmed in the place he holds until the expiration of his term; and let it be clearly un«deretood that, “he that taketh tile sword shall perish by the sword.” If any part of Mr. Tourgee’s

position in the above "quotation is particularly open to criticism, it is in the first sentence, where it is intimated that the Republicans acaused. the Democrats of crime in making their clean sweep. As we understand the matter, the tact of the clean sweep, in itself, was not charged as the crime, but rather the violated civil service reform pledges of the President and the party, in making the clean sweep. It might also be a question as to what Judge Tourgee and men who think with him, would do with such offensive partisans as, say Zimmerman, post-master at Valparaiso, and Ingrim, who holds the same position at Winamac. Thfcse men, all through the campaign, in their functions as editors of newspapers, gave constant circulation and endorsment to such infamous slanders as the dollar-a-day, and the Condon lies. Whatever be their character as officials or whatever be the circumstances under which they obtained office, we earnestly hope that they may ba fired out/just as soon after the 4th of next March, as their successors can be appointed and qualified.

It would also be a matter of interest to know what Judge Tourgee would advise in case of a democratic official who has not been especially offensive as a partisan, who is faithful and efficient, and who did not get his appointment until his supposed Republican predecessor’s term ha,d expired, but where an aEter development of facts tended strongly to show that the Democrats Lad permitted said Republican to serve his full term under conditions that he would afterwards repay the clemency by open or concealed services to the Democratic party.