History of the Indiana democracy, 1816-1916, Part 45

Author: Stoll, John B., 1843-1926
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis : Indiana Democratic Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1104

USA > Indiana > History of the Indiana democracy, 1816-1916 > Part 45

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friendship; I wouldn't urge this matter upon you with so much earnestness; but you and I have been in political life long enough to know that there are times when the strongest personal friendships must be subordinated to political emergency and party necessity. That is the situation now with us in Indiana, and I am making this appeal to you because I regard it a duty so to do. On your return home think this matter over. If at all compatible with your ideas of party expediency, publish a ringing editorial in your paper setting forth the reasons why Mr. Matthews should be nominated. I feel assured such an article from your pen will accomplish the purpose I have so much at heart."

Any one having for any length of time sustained close relations to big-hearted, large-brained, ever generous Dan Voor- hees can readily understand that such an appeal could not be withstood. I wilted; I acquiesced. Without even opening any correspondence with Mr. Matthews, I vigorously espoused his cause personally and through the columns of my paper. The support he received from the northern counties, in which he was wholly unknown, secured his nomination on the second bal- lot. It is due to the memory of my good friend, Captain Hilligoss, long since gath- ered to his fathers, to say that upon ex- plaining to him the reasons that impelled me to champion the nomination of Claude Matthews he gave the gratifying assur- ance that he bore me no ill-feeling, and I believe he meant what he said, although I thought there was just a tinge of poign- ancy in his remark: "If you had kept out of this fight I would easily have secured the nomination."

August 28 was the date fixed for the holding of the convention. The permanent organization was made to consist of ex- Governor Isaac P. Gray, chairman; Cap- tain John C. Nelson of Logansport, princi- pal secretary.

Vice-Presidents-W. N. Underwood, Perry county; Elijah Sanford, Knox;

James A. Cravens, Washington; E. G. Nicholson, Jefferson ; J. J. Smiley, Putnam ; George W. Goodwin, Henry; Charles A. Henderson, Madison; C. W. Ward, Vermil- lion ; Henry C. Harris, Benton; Charles R. Pollard, Carroll; James C. Branhan, Hunt- ington; W. F. McNagny, Whitley; A. G. Wood, Kosciusko.

Assistant Secretaries-L. M. Wade, Posey county; John Johnson, Jr., Law- rence; Josiah Gwin, Floyd; M. W. Fish, Ohio; J. W. Cravens, Monroe; D. W. Mc- Kee, Fayette; A. L. Major, Shelby ; George W. Tipton, Fountain ; J. M. Whistler, Ham- ilton ; J. A. Rothrock, White ; W. J. Houck, Grant; Wright Rockhill, Allen; James C. Fletcher, Knox.

THE PLATFORM.

The platform adopted by this conven- tion was a hummer. It contained twenty- eight paragraphs or planks. There is snap and ginger in every sentence. This vigor- ous pronunciamento is herewith in part reproduced verbatim, the remainder being given in epitomized form:

"We, the Democracy of Indiana, in con- vention assembled for the first time since the memorable contest of 1888, when we went down in defeat but not in dishonor, overcome by the shameless methods of Dudleyism and the blocks-of-five, do solemnly declare:

"That the electoral vote of Indiana was obtained for Harrison and Morton by the most flagrant crimes against the ballot box ever perpetrated in an American com- monwealth; that these crimes were com- mitted under the direct auspices of Wil- liam Wade Dudley, then and now Treasurer of the National Republican Committee, and by the procurement and connivance of Re- publican leaders in this State and in the Nation; that the administration of Benja- min Harrison has made itself an accessory after the fact to these crimes by shielding the criminals from punishment, and even by rewarding them for their knavery; and that the brazen prostitution of the ma- chinery of the Federal court for the dis- trict of Indiana, by its judges and attor- ney, to the protection of these conspirators against the suffrage, constitutes the most infamous chapter in the judicial annals of

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the Republic. The Federal court of In- diana has decided that advising and organizing bribery is not a crime. We ap- peal from the decision to the people of Indiana, and we demand a verdict against William A. Woods, and the miscreants whom he saved from legal punishment.

"We denounce the administration of Benjamin Harrison for its deliberate abandonment of civil service reform; for its use of Cabinet positions and other high stations in payment of financial campaign debts; for treating the public patronage as a family appendage instead of a public trust, and quartering a host of relatives, by blood and by marriage, upon the national treasury; for dismissing honest and competent public servants in violation of solemn pledges, because of their political opinions, and filling their places with men devoid of character or capacity and whose only title to preferment rested upon dis- reputable partisan work; for its dalliance with questionable gift enterprises; for its complete subservience to Wall street and the money power, and its undisguised hos- tility or indifference to the rights and interests of the producing and laboring masses.

"We denounce the tariff monopolists for their efforts to perpetuate themselves in power by measures inconsistent with free institutions and contrary to good morals. We find in the force election bill, the bills creating rotten borough States and the Mckinley tariff bill, the open manifesta- tions of a gigantic conspiracy of the minority to oppress a groaning people with additional burdens of taxation for private benefit and to fasten it onto the country in such a way that the people can- not free themselves from the galling load.

"We condemn the Republican party for the deliberate theft of two seats in the Senate of the United States from the people of Montana; for degrading the House of Representatives from a deliberate body into a one-man despotism under the false and hypocritical pretense of expedit- ing the public business; for unseating legally elected representatives of the peo- ple in order to strengthen a partisan majority, which was originally the product of fraud; for trampling upon the rights of the minority in disregard as well as justice and decency as of parliamentary usage and the plain requirements of the Constitu- tion ; and for reckless prodigality in appro-

priations, which has converted the surplus accumulated under the wise, frugal and statesmanlike administration of Grover Cleveland into a deficit of alarming dimen- sions, involving in the near future further heavy increase of the people's burden.

"We denounce the Mckinley tariff bill as the most outrageous measure of taxa- tion ever proposed in the American Con- gress. It will increase taxes upon the necessities of life and reduce taxes upon the luxuries. It will make life harder for every farmer and wage-earner in the land in order that the profits of the monopolies and trusts may be swelled. It affords no relief whatever to the agricultural inter- ests of the country, already staggering under the heavy burdens of protection; in the words of James G. Blaine, 'It will not open a market for a single bushel of wheat or a single barrel of pork.' We are opposed to legislation which compels In- diana farmers to pay bounties to the sugar planters and silk growers of other States. We are opposed to class legislation of every kind; to subsidies and bounties of every description and in every disguise. We are in favor of that wide measure of commercial freedom proposed by Grover Cleveland which would benefit the farmers and laborers of the entire country, instead of that limited measure of so-called reci- procity offered by Mr. Blaine, which would benefit only a few Eastern manufacturers. So long as the Government depends for support in any degree upon a tariff, we demand that it be levied for revenue only, and so far as possible upon the luxuries of the classes, instead of the necessities of the masses.

"We are rejoiced at the evidences of an awakening of the farmers of the country to the necessity for organized efforts to better their own condition and protect themselves against unjust legislation and oppressive administration. We invite at- tention to the fact that farmers are de- manding, in substance, the same measures of relief which the Democratic party has been advocating for years, but has not had the power to enact, and that the surest and speediest way of obtaining this relief is to restore the Democracy to power in every department of the Government.

"We favor the election of United States Senators by the people.

"We endorse most heartily the legisla-

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tion of the General Assembly of 1889. We applaud the election reform laws and pledge ourselves to their support and full enforcement. We applaud the school text- book laws by which the people are given school books at one-half their former price. We favor such additional legislation as will give full effect to the objects of this act, and will extend its scope as far as prac- ticable, and pledge ourselves to resist every attempt of the school book trust to regain its old control over our public schools. We favor such simplification of the school laws affecting township trustees and county superintendents, and their duties as will increase their efficiency and decrease expenses.

"We applaud the State Board of Char- ities law, and commend the excellent work done by that board in improving the con- ditions and methods of our benevolent and reformatory institutions. The creation of our splendid system of public charities, and their honest and efficient management, constitutes one of the strongest titles of the Indiana Democracy to popular confi- dence and support.

"The State debt obligations should not be hawked over the country, but should be made a popular domestic security, issued direct to the people of the State in bonds of small denomination, drawing a low rate of interest, and non-taxable, that the in- terest paid may remain at home, and the securities may be made a safe investment for trust funds and the people's savings.

"We demand the adoption of a system of equalizing the appraisement of real and personal property in this State, to the end that an equal and proper uniformity in such assessments shall be secured, for the reason that under existing regulations many counties are compelled to pay an un- just proportion of the State's expenses, which others as unjustly escape.

"Judges Coffey, Berkshire and Olds, Re- publican members of the supreme bench, deserve the contempt of the people of In- diana for their action in overturning the settled construction of the Constitution, reversing all legal precedents and contra- dicting their own rulings for the sake of a few petty offices and at the dictation of unscrupulous political tricksters.

"Resolved, That it is the sense of this convention that hereafter the members of the State Central Committee shall be chosen on the 8th of January of each alter-

nate year (commencing in the year 1892) by the voters of the respective congres- sional districts represented by delegates appointed by the respective counties, and such delegates shall assemble at the call of the chairman of the State Central Com- mittee. The members of the State Central Committee thus chosen shall hold their position for two years and until their suc- cessors are respectively elected."

The platform in vigorous terms con- demns a lot of things charged against the Republican party. So numerous and so grave are the offenses alleged against the party then in power that it must be as- sumed to have reached the acme of miscon- duct. Condemnation is pronounced upon force election bills as destructive of home rule and local self-government; upon sec- tionalism and bayonet rule; upon partisan returning boards; upon violation of the Andrews election law. Then comes de- nunciation of the then recently enacted silver bill and demand for the free and unrestricted coinage of silver upon the basis existing prior to 1873. Still more liberal pension laws are demanded. De- mand for legislation to prohibit alien own- ership is reiterated. Farmers' institutes praised and commended. Funding of school debt is lauded. Republican officials and newspapers are charged with conspir- acy to destroy the State's credit for parti- san purposes. The eight-hour labor law is applauded and the importation of Pinker- ton detectives denounced. Fees and perqui- sites for officers are condemned and fair salaries for all public officials favored. Interference with parochial schools depre- cated and denounced. Township libraries strongly approved. The course of Senators Voorhees and Turpie most heartily ap- proved and commended.

The committee that drafted and re- ported these resolutions was composed of John G. Shanklin, Lycurgus Dalton, Jason B. Brown, Charles E. Korbly, Eb. Hender- son, Robert Dora, Samuel E. Morss, John E. Lamb, T. J. Terhune, Milton L. Hump- ston, J. M. Smith, D. C. Fawcett and David

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R. Leeper. Three of them were newspaper men, one an author and one a member of Congress. They certainly knew how to construct a platform with plenty of bark on it.

STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE.

1. Anthony Stevenson, Spencer county.

2. James M. Andrew, Orange.

3. Alvin P. Smith, Harrison.

4. William H. O'Brien, Dearborn.

5. John W. Ragsdale, Franklin.

6. Thomas J. Study, Wayne.

7. D. W. Berg, Madison.

8. James M. Haskins, Clay.

9. David F. Allen, Clinton.

10. Benjamin F. Louthain, Cass.

11. Jerome Herff, Miami.

12. Herman Freygang, Steuben.

13. Martin T. Krueger, Laporte.

Nominations being declared next in order, George W. Shanklin of Evansville placed in nomination for the office of Sec- retary of State Claude Matthews of Ver- milion county ; Judge Lotz proposed Cap- tain W. J. Hilligoss of Muncie; John R. East named James B. Clark, and Thomas F. Wilson put in nomination Colonel John Lee of Crawfordsville. The trend ran un- mistakably in favor of Farmer Matthews, who was duly nominated on the second bal- lot. On motion of Captain Hilligoss the nomination was made unanimous.

For Auditor of State, Paul Hyatt named George S. Green of Vincennes; Cyrus E. Davis presented the name of James C. Lavelle of Daviess county, and Newton B. Smith put in nomination the winner, John Oscar Henderson of Kokomo. The vote stood: Henderson, 675; Lavelle, 375; Green, 253. Henderson's nomination was made unanimous.

The race for State Treasurer was a very spirited one. Placed before the convention were: Albert Gall of Indianapolis, Henry C. Berghoff of Fort Wayne, Thomas B. Byrnes of Evansville and James R. Slack, Jr., of Huntington. The contest from be- ginning to end was between Gall and Berg- hoff. Four ballots were required to pro-

duce a nomination. Gall proved a winner and was on motion of Mr. Berghoff de- clared the unanimous choice of the conven- tion.

For Attorney-General, Alonzo Green Smith was nominated on the first ballot, the vote standing in his favor 7871/2 to 5151% for James McCabe of Warren.

For the Supreme Judgeship there was no contest. The unanimous sentiment of the party ran in favor of the renomination of Judge Joseph A. S. Mitchell. And it was so decreed by the convention. At the same time there existed a strong feeling throughout the State in favor of paving the way for his nomination, in the near future, for the Governorship. Having for years sustained very close relations to Judge Mitchell, I touched upon this sub- ject in one of my communications as well as in some editorial references to the prob- abilities of future political action. This elicited the following unequivocal declara- tions as to his inclinations in private and public life :

"Indianapolis, February 20, 1890.

"My Dear Friend: I cannot but express to you the obligations I am under for your uniform courtesy and kindness to me cov- ering a period of twenty years and more, and especially for the generous mention you have recently made of my name in connection with the Gubernatorial office. I assure you I am not insensible to expres- sions of confidence coming from one in whom the Democracy of the State repose well merited confidence, and whose course I have watched with pride and pleasure almost from boyhood. I do not want to be a candidate for Governor. My tastes are waning more and more from old time polit- ical strife, and while my preference would be to go back to my private business, I can only say if my friends wish me to accept a renomination for the office I am now occupying I would very much prefer that to any other office in the gift of the people of the State. It is in the line of work to which I have devoted my life, and if my friends think I have discharged the duties acceptably I would gratefully accept a re- nomination. . This letter is of course for your eye alone, but you may say in your

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paper what you think appropriate with the assurance of the continuance of the per- sonal esteem and regard of your friend, "J. A. S. MITCHELL.

"P. S .- I have written this in great haste, hoping soon to see you."

Triumphantly re-elected to the exalted position to which he was originally as- signed by the people of Indiana in 1884, that insidious foe of mankind, gallstone, had so undermined his otherwise superb physical condition that before the expira- tion of his first term the Grim Reaper cut short his useful earthly career. Death relieved him of intense suffering in the month of December, 1890.

Joseph A. S. Mitchell was born at Mer- cersburg, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, December 2, 1837. Upon attaining boy- hood he worked on a farm, had the benefit of a common school education, taught school for a time and later on acquired higher educational knowledge at Blands- ville, Ill., and Chambersburg, Pa. In the latter institution he fitted himself for the law. After his admission to the bar he practiced for a short time, traveled for a few months in the South and then located at Goshen, Ind. In response to the call of President Lincoln he enlisted in the Second Indiana Cavalry, serving two full years. For meritorious and gallant conduct he was promoted to a captaincy and later on assigned to duty on the staff of General McCook, which position he held to the close of the civil war. Returning from the seat of war, he resumed his residence at Goshen to again take up the practice of law in partnership with John H. Baker. He served as deputy prosecuting attorney and was elected mayor in 1872 and re- elected in 1874. In conjunction with Benjamin Harrison and Aaron Dyer he represented the Indiana Bar Association at Saratoga in 1879. Recognition of his eminent fitness for the place led to his nomination for Supreme Judge in 1880. With the rest of the ticket that year he was defeated. Four years later he was again nominated for the Supreme Judge-

ship and triumphantly elected. In the dis- charge of his judicial duties he gained the reputation of a "most righteous judge" and an exceptionally able expounder of the law. For a number of years he filled most acceptably the position of trustee of De Pauw University.

The mutations of politics worked some notable results during the 1880-1890 dec- ade in the make-up of the Supreme Court. William E. Niblack and George V. Howk were elected in the Tilden campaign of 1876 and re-elected in 1882. This extended their tenure to 1889-twelve years. The Garfield triumph in 1880 brought on the bench William A. Woods and Byron K. Elliott. Woods was transferred to the Federal bench, resigning May 8, 1883. Edwin P. Hammond was appointed in Woods' place. Allen Zollars was elected in 1882 and served one full term of six years. Joseph A. S. Mitchell was elected in 1884, re-elected in 1900, and died in De- cember of that year. The Harrison victory in 1888 resulted in the election of three Republican judges-John G. Berkshire, Silas D. Coffey and Walter Olds. Berk- shire died after being on the bench two years and Olds resigned about the same time to become a corporation attorney.

WHAT WAS WORRYING SENATOR VOORHEES.

Some time before the meeting of the State convention I received a letter written by Senator Voorhees in his own hand, in- stead of being dictated and type-written as had become the custom and practice with members of Congress. It may be ob- served that Senator Voorhees at times be- came very gloomy and despondent. In all probability he was in that frame of mind when he penned the letter herewith repro- duced. It hadn't been so very long since we had been out riding in and about Wash- ington discussing State politics and I be- ing an attentive listener to the Senator's irresistible plea for the nomination of Claude Matthews for Secretary of State,

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yet he seemed to have regarded that a long interval. But here is the letter; it affords highly interesting reading and illustrates anew how appearances and conjectures may bow down the heart and fill it with dire forebodings of impending disaster:

"My Dear Mr. Stoll: The sight of your familiar handwriting is good for my weary eyes and jaded spirits. I am sore at heart that I have not seen you for so long a time. The truth is that for a year after the elec- tion of 1888 I carried the effects of that hard campaign in my continued ill health, but I have now rounded the danger point and feel that I am my old self again. I am working hard and shall try to make a good record this session. At the same time the outlook here as to national poli- tics is very dark to my mind. Under the ruling in the House there is nothing to stop this Republican Congress from enact- ing laws with which to control the results in every Southern State and there is not a doubt that such is their purpose at this time. The conspiracy is far-reaching, looking to the perpetuation of the Repub- lican party in power and the overthrow of our system of State governments. Noth- ing so grave and perilous to my mind has occurred since the war as the issue pre- sented here now. I wish I could talk it over with you. Can't you run on here for a few days? I would be glad to have you as my guest.

"With all my heart I thank you for your good, kind words about the Senatorial matter. I think there will be no want of harmony on that subject, and that is the great point in the success and welfare of the party. It is a mistake to suppose we are to have an easy fight in Indiana this year. I have it from the inside that a de- termined and moneyed campaign is to be made to carry the State and to retire me so that I may never trouble them again with another 'Blocks-of-five' speech in the Senate. In all my life I was never as ob- noxious to the Republican leaders as I am now, and all on account of that speech. Benny and his people are bitter, and like- wise Quay, who carries the money bags. Dudley also is openly threatening that he can encompass my defeat. I feel compli- mented by this opposition of the rogues,

but it will have to be a vigilant, active, hardworking year on our part. Write to me and believe me, always,

"Your faithful friend, "D. W. VOORHEES. "Hon. John B. Stoll, South Bend, Ind."

The drastic partisan legislation which he apprehended failed to become a reality ; the onslaught on his official life failed to materialize. Instead of these things hap- pening, a Legislature was elected in 1890 that accorded to Daniel W. Voorhees a third full Senatorial term, which clothed him with authority to participate in the enactment of laws up to March 3, 1897. The General Assembly of 1891 was over- whelmingly Democratic. In the Senate there were thirty-five Democrats to fifteen Republicans; the House was composed of seventy-three Democrats and twenty-seven Republicans. Such an endorsement surely must have dispelled whatever gloom may have possessed itself of Senator Voorhees at times when he gave himself over to mournful cogitation of political disaster.

VOTE FOR STATE TICKET, 1890. SECRETARY OF STATE.

Claude Matthews, Democrat .233,881 19,579

Milton Trusler, Republican ... .214,302 Brazillai M. Blount, Prohibitionist 12,006 Martin V. Kindle, Populist. 17,354

AUDITOR OF STATE.

John O. Henderson, Democrat .... 232,409

20,610

Ivan N. Walker, Republican ..... 211,799 Abraham Huntsinger, Prohibition 12,134 James M. Johnson, Populist ...... 17,427 TREASURER OF STATE.

Albert Gall, Democrat. 232,394

20,501

George W. Pixley, Republican .211,893

Eli J. Robb, Prohibitionist .. 11,698

Isaiah N. Miller, Populist. 17,447

JUDGE SUPREME COURT.

Joseph A. S. Mitchell, Democrat. . 232.725

21,252

Robert W. McBride, Republican. . 211,473

John W. Baxter, Prohibitionist .. 11,610 John S. Bender, Populist. . 17,410

ATTORNEY-GENERAL.

Alonzo G. Smith, Democrat. .232,128 20,226 John W. Lovett, Republican . .211,902

Sumner W. Haynes, Prohibitionist 11,771 William Patterson, Populist. 17,456

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History of the Indiana democracy, 1816-1916, Part 45

Author: Stoll, John B., 1843-1926 Publication date: 1917 Publisher: Indianapolis : Indiana Democratic Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1104

Author: Stoll, John B., 1843-1926
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis : Indiana Democratic Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1104