The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-12-09
SHANK MAY BE
NEWEST CANDIDATE
tcontinued from Page i,

that he could not get that nomination,
and he switched again and announced
himself for still a different nomination,
and this time he was nominated for
county auditor. And he was elected.
When he came out for the nomna-
ton for mayor in 1909 he was regarded
as joke. and II was thought that any
one could beat him for the nomination.
But he developed a wonderful amount
of strength through his personality and
his eccentric methods OF conducting his
campaign, that ne beat his only oppon-
ent for the nomination by an over.
whelming majority. carrying every
ward in the city. Even then it was the
joke of the town that Lew Shank
should be mayor. but it happened that
the nomination made by the Democrats
was not any better, and there was little
choice between the two candidates as
far as desirability was concerned. This
being true, Shank won by a big ma
jority. That is how he happened to be-
come mavor of Indianapolis.
But since he took that office he has
developed wonderfully. He is Still the
clown that he always was, and he has
that old fashioned, happy go lucky,
free and easy manner about him that
makes friends with everybody. He is
admitted to be absolutely honest and
well meaning. When he makes mis-
take it Is because he did not know any
better. He is stin the same old "clod
hopper that he always was. but he has
learned a great deal about public bus
ness and affairs that he did not know
when Re took office.
Shank evidently has the interest OF
the people at heart. at the same time
that he plays politics.. He knows the
political game well. and he is not afraid
to play it. He does not seem to care
whether anyone likes what he does, sc
long as he thinks it is all right.
Mayor Shank, as is known, has de-
iyeloped into the bitter foe of the mid
dleman in the fight against the higt
cost of living. and this has brought
fame to him from all over the country
Last summer when a campaign wa
started for better conditions in the In
ldianapolis city market Mayor Shank
fell in behind It and played q prominen
part. 1t shown that there were
gross abuses at the market, and tina
the customers were being held up righ
and left on prices of foodstuffs which
they bought there. The middlemen hat
| the HfdTktt ny NHS anu We
charging enormous prices for the prod
uce sold on the market. The consumer
were the sufferers. So when the igh
started Mayor Shank appointed com
mission to investigate conditions an
to make recommendations as to how t
improve market conditions to brin'
down the cost of living. This commits
sion made a report and ordinanc
drawn along the lines of that repor
lis now pending in the city council.
Not only did he do this, but he Tough
the commission men in another way
I He went out into the country, and eve
l into other states and bought and ship
ped into the Indianapolis city market
total of sixteen carloads of potatoe
and sold them at retail TO the peopl
. at a little more than the cost pric'
This had.he effect of bringing down tn
retail price of potatoes from $1.30
= bushel to IS cents. Then he had sew
; eral carloads of apples shipped in an
> sold them at retail. And just befor
Thanksgiving. when the prices @
, chickens and turkeys were so hig
here, he went out and bought hundred
!. of fowls and sold them on the marxe
at low prices.
Thus he brought the producer an
the consumer together. Now, Shank
lis believed had the governorship
view while he was doing all of this. 10
his handling of these things certainl