The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-09-10

chosen by the voters of the county;
the sheriff who must execute the judg-
ment Of the court when rendered. Is
county officer-since 1t is the county
which must enforce the restrictions
against the sale OF liquor. it is proper
for the county to determine what
those restrictions shall be. They can
only be thoroughly enforced If the
same political body which demands
them is the body which has the power
to carry them out-and the county is
the smallest unit which can make
such restrictions effectual. To pro-
hibit saloons in ward, or township
is of little use when they can be es-
tablished just across the street or the
township line. County local option,
however is more effective-the bulk
Of the population cannot well go to an
adjoining county to quench its thirst
Hence the republican party adopted
the strongest temperance platform
conceivable.
The democratic platform-local OPP
ton by townships and wards-is a
great change in the views of party
which has heretofore opposed ''all
sumptuary legislation But it means
that in the face of the tidal wave for
temperance which is sweeping the
county, the democrats of Indiana in
tend so far as they can to stand pat.
The township and the ward may now
prohibit liquor selling; they can do
nothing more under a township local
option law. So you have the question
fairly presented Will you stay as you
are, or will you give the county the
right to prohibit the sale Of liquor?
And as to Watson.
son is the republican candidate for
governor and Marshall is the democra-
tic candidate. Now Watson is a man
whose views, in many ways l do not
share. l do not think that he repre-
sented us correctly, when in the last
session of congress he sought the ear
ly adjournment Of that body and
seemed DESTROYS, with the remainder
Of the Cannon organization of giving
the country a rest" as they called it,
ed by The odore Roosevelt. He told
us two years ago that he was a Roose-
welt republican, but he wasn't quito
enough of Roosevelt republican to
cooperate heartily in things the presi-
dent wanted done.
Some of the criticism against him
however, Is unjust. He could not have
given us that measure of tariff reform
which many of our merchants and
manufacturers demanded. The tariff
schedules are things so vast and COM
plicated that if you once introduce
them into congress they will absorb
the entire attention of that body and
all other things, even more important
things, must stand aside. Hence
President Roosevelt himself, although
he has been long in favor of tariff
amendment, postponed 1t until the
great moral issues awakened by the
trusts and by the depredations of pre-
datory wealth, should first have been
started we'll upon their way.
Therefore I do not blame Mr.. Wat
son for not urging upon congress, tar
if amendments which he could not
secure. He might indeed have made
record" on behalf of his constitu-
ents by introducing bills to be de-
feated. But the real work of a con-
gresham should be to accomplish
something attainable and If he could
not do this, we should not find fault
possible.
My own difference with him is on
other matters. I have been earnestly
opposed to the patronage system of
appointments to office and have been
a warm advocate of the civil service
reform law which has taken away the
patronage from congressman and has
made public employment depend up
on proved qualifications rather than
Influence" Now Mr.. Watson has OPP
| posed the extension of this law to the
rural free delivery service and to 9TH
er places to which it was applicable
and has in private conversations and
| elsewhere denounced the competitive
system as a fraud. l have found that
in political life, the men who depend
upon spoils for political nutriment
are not those whom We can best trust
for disinterested patriotism. The real
statesman is he who stands upon his
own merits and not upon the plumber
which he can distribute among 1.-The
| boys"
| l confess therefore that if James
E. Watson were to come before us
now as a candidate for congress with
his hating record as civil service
reformer and supporter of the Roose.
welt policies, I would not vote for him
as the representative of the Sixth dis.
trict, if there were any reasonable al.
tentative
But he is not a candidate for con.
gress. He is a candidate for governor
| of the state of Indiana upon a plat
form in which I believe and to which
in his Fit. Wayne speech he has prom
ised his heartiest concurrence. Mr.
Marshall, his democratic competitor
stands upon platform advocating the
| township and ward unit for local CD
ton. / feel bound upon this issue tc
support Mr.. Watson. Moreover he has
assured us that he is IL. full sympathy
with the nonpartisan management Of
our benevolent institution and will moi