Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 October 1890 — INDIANAPOLIS LETTER. [ARTICLE]

INDIANAPOLIS LETTER.

Indianapolis, Opt. 13. “If I could reach every Republican in Indiana with my voicej,” said Chairman Michener, the other day, “I would say to them that there was but one thing between the party and victory next month, and that was the Jack of interest on their part. If they will go put and vote the victory will be ours. The drift is all in our favor, and we will get enough new strength from various sources to win the most complete victory we have ever had, if the Republicans themselves will only go to the polls.” This view of the case is coincided in by all those who have studied the situation. One thing is certain, the Republicans have never had a brighter opportunity to win than just now. Never before has a Congress so vindicated the wisdom of giving that body to the control of the Republicans; never has apartysocompletely kept the pledges it has made to the people as the Republicans under this administration. I met atone of the,hotels, the other day, a prominent Republican who had visited many parts of the State. On asking him what he thought of the situation, he said he had found a good deal of kicking here and there. I asked him kicking against what, against whom, and he said against the administration I asked him what particular thing done by the administration was kicked about. After a considerable pause hesaidr, the truth is he had not heard a single thing done'unfavorably criticised, but that everywhere the party endorsed every act of Congress. Pushed a little further he said that in fact he had not heajd of any kicking, but only that kicking was being done. He further said that the State ticket and platform was universally approved, and that if there was any discontent.anywhere it was only against the President personally because he had not given some one an office, but it was not against the party. This tells the whole story. The Republicans have never had so complete an arsenal of good deeds done with which to go before the people than just now, and since the days of the war the Democrats have never been in as bad a shape to appeal tocl the- as at the present time. They have nothing good to show, but their whole administration has been bad, and nothing in it to recommend them to the honest part of the community. In State affairs they have been incompetent, wasteful, reckless of every interest except that of making places for party henchmen. In Congress they have only been obstructionists, offering nothing good themselves, but only trying to prevent the Republicans from accomplishing what the people have demanded at their hands. In counties and municipalities, where they have had control, they have always taxed the people to the very utmost, and honesty and good government lias not been found among them anywhere. They have been for the party always—for the people never. They have been loud in their professions in their platforms and on the 6tump, but their actions have not been in harmony with their promises. Thus the Republicans have much the advantage of them in a discussion before the people. They enacted laws under the pretense of shutting out bribery of voters, and yet in this county their local candidates have poured out money like water with the intent of corrupting the voters. They passed laws they claimed would insure an honest ballot, yet their leaders have been industriously schooling their henchmen in the way 3 of corrupting the ballot in despite of the law.. In their boastings before the people they are now reduced down to two -things done by the last General Assembly—letting a contract for school books and the election laws. In the first they did not go far enough, for Indiana is great enough and rich enough to supply books to the children free. In the last they made the law so cumbersome in some of its provisions and so vague in others that it will cost the people an enormous sum of money and fail in accomplishing what the people have desired. They say they have erected great benevolent institutions. If they have, they have been so extravagant in the administration of affairs as to increase the ourrent expenses far above the revenues. In times of profound peace and great prosperity no excuse can be given for increasing the public debt, much less for creating an annual deficit in the current expenses.

No party was ever before so closely in sympathy with the industrial classes as the Republican party of to-day. That it is honest in its professions in this regard is shown by its acts. The present Congress has done more for labor than all other congresses combined. It has done more for agriculture. It has done more to build up for the country a trade with foreign lands that the people might have a market for all their surplus. It has done more for the old veterans. And any measure looking toward any of those ends was either opposed by the votes of the Democrats or by their obstruction policy. President Harrison was the first public man to take the ground that trusts and combines ought to be throttled by the law. A Republican Congress was the first to attempt to throttle them. The Republicans have been iu the advance of every good word and work while the Democrats have always been arrayed in opposition especially when it came to the works. They declared in favor of liberal pensions, but voted against and tried to defea4 the most liberal pension measure ever proposed by any government They pretended to be opposed to trusts, yet tried in every way to prevent the Republicans passing a law against such combines. They pretended to be in favor of the demaads o the agriculturists but in

Congress sought to defeAt all. legislation in their interest. So it was with everything that tfas proposed for thft benefit of the people. The Republicans were found working earnestly and honestly in their favor, the Democrats vehemently opposing them. No Republican can afford to remain away from the polls this year, Nicodemus. If the Republicans turn out and vote in November, the victory will be theirs.