The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-04-15
Marshall Is D0dging the Responsibility
Governor Does Not Want to Have Anything to Do With Placing
the Democratic State Platform.
palladium Specially

(Palladium Specially
Indianapolis, April Ex-Governor
Marshall is seeking to avoid the re-
sponsibility of having anything to do
with placing any declaration Of the
liquor question in the democratic state
platform, in spite of the fact that
strenuous efforts are being made to
drag him into the fight over the kind
of declaration which shall be made.
The governor says he has not been
able to make up his mind on just
what the platform ought to say on
this subject. or whether anything at
all should be said.
It has been learned that some Of the
leading democrats Of the state have
been imploring the governor to &C
cept q place on the resolutions COM
mittee at the convention. but he has
declined to serve. The plan was to
put him ON the committee as the rep
resentative of the Seventh district,
the Seventh being the district In
which Indianapolis is located. This
would put the governor in rather an
awkward position. in case he should
decide to accept the place on the
committee, because he was elected
from Whitley county. and he has new
er announced his remuneration of his
residence in the Twelfth district. So
far as is known he is still citizen
Of the Twelfth and not of the Seventh
Anyway, the governor will not serve
as q member of the committee and
has let the democrats know it who
have called on him and asked him to
serve The fact is that he does not
propose to be dragged into the fight
over the liquor question, which prom
Uses to be the big fight Of the conven-
ton.
Since it has become known that he
will not serve on the resolutions COM
mittee Democrats representing all
shades Of opinion on the liquor ques-
ton have called on him and asked for
his views on the kind Of q plank
which should be placed in the plat
form, but to all OF them he has given
the same answer-that he has no
opinion to express ON that subject, at
least, not at this time.
Governor Marshall does not know
yet whether the subject Of temper
ance legislation ought to be mention
ed in the platform. It is the belief of
many who know him that he would
a little rather nothing at all be said
on that subject. This would leave
the members of the legislature free to
take any action they might prefer and
none of them would then be bound by
any platform pledges The governor
Is not much for binding legislators to
any certain policy on any such ques-
ton. He regards the liquor question
as q moral question rather than q po-
litical question.
There is such wide diversity of OPP
inion among the democrats on the
temperance proposition that it seems
an impossibility for them to get to-
gether and agree on plank for their
platform that will satisfy all of them.
Some of those who have called on the
governor to seek his views have fav-
ored q new law that would repeal the
present county option law and leave
the Moore law in force to govern the
saloon business. Others think there
should be an open declaration In the
platform In favor Of repeating the
county option law and substituting q
ward. township and city option law.
Still others believe there should be q
ward. township and city law, but that
It should be supplemented with pro-
visions for strict regulation OF the sa-
1o0n h,ainoSa Those vhO heliovo <ho
latter way seem to be becoming more
numerous. too. They take the ground
that In addition to the local option
feature Of their proposed law there
should be q provision which would
restrict the number Of saloons accord
ing to the population of the city. ward
or township. However, they say that
the law should be so drawn as to not
interfere with saloons In existence at
the time Of its passage. but that when
ever saloon quits business for any
reason no new license should be issu-
ed to new saloon until the number
In the district affected is reduced to
the number allowed under the law,
based on the population.
Il IL understood that this Is the plan
which the brewers win favor, II they
30 Into the fight ut all. But the report
Is that the brewers prefer no declara-
ton In the platform OF any kind.
They want as little said a. possible.
for they fear that agitation Of the
TliQuor question again this year nav
| do them much harm.
L0oAefD O9 tho party an II siAaa