The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-05-17
REPUBLICANS GATHER At
CAPITAL FOR REORGANIZATION
Leaders Find Conditions Be tier Than Thew Were Last
Year-Republicans Not at All Afraid of Marshall
Constitution, Which Is Regarded as Joke Over the
State

said that the Republicans would have
carried Indiana last year if they had
stood pat for the county option law in
their platform. One speaker mention
ed Tippeeanoe county as evidence OF |
what it meant to stand by the county
option law. He said that after the
state convention failed to indorse the
county option law the Republicans of
Tippecanoe county found that they
would be defeated on that issue, so
they made a platform of their own in
which they inserted a county option
plank.
If we had not done that three Re-
publican Representatives would not
have been sent here" he said.
He said that this was the only thing
that saved the Republicans OF Tippe-
canoe county from defeat last fall
This speaker was in favor of county
option plank in the state platform next
year.
| Another speaker from the Eleventh
district made the statement that he
would have been defeated If he had not
gene out and made a county option
campaign on his own hook. Judging
from the tone Of the speeches. the Re-
publican members of the legislature
Will make an effort to have the party
declare for the re-enactment OF the
| law.
| Little attention was paid in the
speeches to the proposed new state
constitution. All of the members ap-
peared to have the idea that the
Supreme Court will declare unconstitu-
tional the law enacted by the last Leg
islature to submit the proposed consti-
tuition TO vote of the people. Some
~ ha
THAT the supreme Court would sustain
the law so that the Marshall constitu-
tioN could go on the ballot next year
because they said 1t would be easy to
defeat the Democrats on that issue.
One of the things talked about on
the outside OF the meeting was the
lprobable effect of the new voters regis
| tration law enacted by the last legis-
lature. Whether this subject was men,
| toned In the meeting has not been
learned. Representative Van Horne of
Lake county, was one who said that
the registration of voters under that
law would be a very big job, but he
said 1t would be as difficult for one
lparty as for the other. so that II would
not make much difference either way
Representative E. NJ wasmuth. of
Huntington county, said he regarded
the new corrupt practices act as the
most Importance piece of legislation
enacted at the last session.
Under that law little money will be
spent by candidates for Office" he said
IF that law had been force during the
last campaign two candidates for Con-
gress in the Eleventh district would
have saved thousands of dollars"
It was said by several of the mem
bers who attended the meeting that no
attempt was made to outline any policy
for the next campaign. The meeting
was not called for that purpose. they
said. and no one understood anything
LOT the kind. 1t was merely a discus
sion of party conditions in the various
Icounties. Neither was anything said
about candidates for state nominal
tons II was said. This subject was
carefully avoided. Some OF the friends
of w. T. Durbin were about the hotel
Hobby and they talked with number
,of the members, ut the talk was not
! carried into the meeting. 1t was un-
! derstood that Durbin would be a can
J didate for the nomination
Senator VIII r. Wood of Lafayette,
said yesterday that he had not made up
! his mind whether he would be a candi-
J date for Governor. He said 1t was toe
early to decide the question.
Il should like to be Governor" he
said. "and after little while. If find
} conditions just right I may announce
! myself a candidate. I have reeeiv-
ed some very pleasant encouragement
, from Republicans in various parts OF
the state. Indiana is Republican
! state and we are in good shape. we
r would have won last year only for our
| internal differences. But the Hemen-
5 way faction, the Beveridge faction and
I all the others have found that they
r cannot win by fighting each other, and
. I am of the opinion that all Republi-
e cans are ready to come together and
/ form organization that can carry
! the state"