The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-02-25
Beveridge in Saturday Even
ing Post Condemns Re-
vengefuI Partisans and
Lauds Independents.
GIVES HIS OPINIONS
IN FORCIBLE MANNER
Senior SoIon From the Hoos-
ier State Delivers Singing
Rebuke to One Brand of the
Politician.

In this weeks issue OF the Saturday
Evening Post. Senator A. j. Beveridge
in part, the following
strong article:
Three years ago mass meeting was
held at county seat. Many thous-
ands Of people were present. Among
these were eight young men, all under
- years of age. They were school
teachers from an adjoining county who
had come to this big meeting to hear
the issues discussed as the billboards
and newspapers say.
These eight young school teachers
went to the hotel and dined at the same
table. The speaker of the occasion
sat with them instead Of eating with
the committee-he wanted to find out
what these typical young men were
thinking. 1t turned out that five OF
these pedagogues were Democrats
and three were republicans. One of
the former pleasantly remarked in the
discussion of some question: I'm a
Democrat, as Mr.. Hill said, but
What Does Name Mean?
"'Tell me, does that name mean
anything to yOu:' asked another at the
table
Not a thing answered the young
democratic school teacher.
hn -,
spoke up another of these youthful
teachers, for I'm republican and
that name does not mean anything to
me. Both of us are in the same boat
you see'
You amaze me- said their ques-
toner. If the names democrat and
republican mean nothing to you, what
does mean anything to you:'
Why-spoke up a third member of
this astonishing group of independent
thinking educators-'Why,' said he
right and wrong-those are the words
that mean something to us. Is the
proposed solution Of any question wise
or foolish, workable or impracticable
right or wrong: This is the only
thing that interests us
Calls 1t Clear Thinking.
Here was good, clear American
thinking, and good, stout American
courage of the Lexington Concord
kind
This kind of talk is not agreeable
to the lifelong partisan-I. myself am
thrilled by memory of Lincolns leader
ship of my party, uplifted by the noble
memories of those great men who
wrought high Ideals into practical
facts and wove them into the warp and
woof of my party's deeds and history
So it seems abhorrent Ito hear such
words as have quoted spoken-almos.
sacrilege to hear such irreverent
opinions proclaimed. But there they
are-that's the point
Such opinions do exist and are
growing. Perhaps they are repellani
to us party men because our idea OF
party loyalty was handed down to us
from those to whom party was synon,
ymous with country-and justly so
Perhaps these newer views are born OF
new conditions. But no matter-men
are talking just such sentiments every
day. Abuse will not suppress them
rather abuse will stimulate them. Sc
verSation.
That's so,' emphatically broke in
one of the republican teachers. we
want something modern: We want tC
know whether a policy or a piece OF
legislation will be good thing for the
country, or the reverse: and We want
to know why. To label a proposed
policy of law democratic or republican
Or even socialistic, neither condemns
nor commends it to our eyes. Such la
bells cut no ice any more. We wan,
facts. not epithets. We want reasons
not placards.'
This is an example of what you may
hear anywhere throughout the whole
republic. except. perhaps. in the South
san.
Flags Party Sorehead.
Don't confuse this independen,
party voter with the party sorehead, as
our stinging American way of speaking
brands him. The former is as differ
ent from the latter as Paul Revere was
from Benedict Arnold. The man with
a personal grievance votes against his
party for revenge. for pique or for any
other unworthy personal reason. Per
haps he has been an unsuccessful can
didate for an office before his party
convention-his defeat makes him sore
as the saying is.
Perhaps he could not get an ap-
pointive office, either through unfit.
ness-which no man himself ever ad.
mits-or because there were not
enough offices to go around. Perhaps