The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-12-14
STAND ON THE
QUESTION DOUBTFUL
tCoat,nuee from page ~.

they stand on the question of whether
or not it will be wise to contest the
seat of Edward S. Mickey, the repub-
lican who was elected representative
from Lake county. This is the case
wherein it is charged that Mickey was
elected over Edward Simon, democrat,
by the fraudulent votes of foreigners
who were naturalized in Lake county
few days before the election when they
are alleged to have been ineligible to
naturalization.
Can't Figure 1t Out.
Since the republican senators an
nounced after their conference in this
city last Thursday that they will fol-
low the "eye for an eye and tooth for
tooth" policy in dealing with the demo-
Gratis of the house on the matter of
contests, the democrats have hardly
been able to figure out just what they
had better do about it, They have
every reason to believe that the re-
publicans mean what they said in refer
ence to this matter and that they are
not blufhng. Some of the influential
democrats are pointing out to their
fellows that if Mickey is unseated and
O1AiOll given Vic scat Al tlAC AAOGSC as,
representative from Lake county the
republicans of the senate will have the
power to unseat as many democratic
senators as they pleased and fill their
places with republicans, and this is
what they fear will be done if the Sim
on case is pushed to the end.
Can't Land Offices Then.
On the other hand the democrats
know that if they do not push the
Simon case and fail to show up fraud
| in the Lake county election there will
be no hope of their success in contest
| ing the offices of secretary of state, au-
| ditor of state, treasurer of state, attor-
ney general and reporter of the SUI
preme court, for which elaborate prepa-
rations are being made. They know
| that If they ae able to show that q
thousand or more foreigners We're nat
uralized illegally in Lake county and
that they had no right to vote they
may be able to take these offices away
from the republicans, and this is a bali
| that appeals to the hungry democrats
as a bright luminous minnow appeal:
/ to a hungry black bass. So they hard
| ly know just what to do.
The democrats are somewhat at {
disadvantage in this matter. Even i
they seat Simon in the house in plac,
of Mickey they will not strengthen
! their position as far as party strength
| is concerned. They already have a bis
majority in the house and also a bis
majority on joint ballot So Simoni
vote is not needed for any party pur
pose. The democrats can elect thei
United States senator without the al,
of Simon's vote and they can do any
thing in the house without him tina
| they can do with him present and vot
ing. And yet they feel that they mus
show fraud in Lake county on accoun
of the contests for state offices.
What 1t Would Mean.
On the other hand the republican
would gain through an application o
the EYE for an eye and tooth for
tooth policy. If they unseat the tire
senators from Marion county, whic
they would probably do If they starte
anything at all, they would gain tire
| senators who would be hold-over,
These three republicans senator's woul
serve not only at this session but ais
at the session two years hence when
successor. to Senator Beveridge is to b
elected. And a gain of three vote
for this purpose would not be bad a
all. There is no telling what the politi
cal complexion of the 1911 legislator
will be and it might come in yer
handy to have an additional three re
publican senators to vote for the re
election of Senator Beveridge
Soon after the election the three dc
feated republican candidates for sena
tor in Marion county filed contests i
the superior court here and these cor
tests are still pending. So it would /
easy enough for the republicans in til
senate to give them their seats on til
ground that they were defeated throug
fraud. ELLIS SEARLES.