The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-08-01
Richmond Man Was Chos-
en- by a Vote of o8 to 2,
at the Caucus of the Dis
trict Delegates.
SIXTH WILL FIGHT
AN OPTION PLANK
Leeds a Member of Resolu-
tions Committee.-F Foulke
and Bryson Delegates to
National Convention.
By w. r. PoUNDsToNE.

By w. r. PoUNDsToNE.
INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. by a vote
of 9s to the sixth district delegates
at their caucus last night at the state
house voted to elect Rudolph G. Leeds
chairman of the district, member Of
the resolutions committee after he had
publicly declared that If made men,
ber of the committee he would oppose
any effort to incorporate a plank in
the Progressive state platform declar-
ing for county local option.
! Following the election of the vari-
Gus district officers Edward Warfel, of
Richmond, placed Mr.. Leeds in nomi-
nation as sixth district member of the
resolutions committee. After Mr.. War
fel had taken his seat a delegate from
Henry county arose and announced
that at the Progressive meeting in that
county a resolution had been unani-
mously adopted pledging the support
of the Henry county delegation to Mr.
Leeds for district member Of the reso-
| lUtions committee. This statement was
greeted with cheers by the delegates.
After the applause had subsided Mr.,
Leeds surrendered the chair to Lon
Havens of Rushville, the vice chair
man, and took the floor to explain his
views on county local option. which,
he said, he believed the delegates
should thoroughly understand before
they voted on the motion nominating
him for member of the resolutions
committee.
Mr.. Leeds in the beginning stated
that he did not believe a county local
option plank should be incorporated in
the state Progressive platform. He
tsaid the liquor question should be SOL
we'd by the people of Indiana and that
Itiative and referendum, a declaration
for which principle he advocated in in
the platform.
Not Sincere Method.
Mr. Leeds said he believed that to
adopt county local option plank in
the platform would only be a matter
of political expediency to obtain votes
and would not be a sincere method in
reaching a decision on a most vital
question. He said that the only way to
determine the method to pursue in re-
CARDS to the liquor question was to re-
move 1t from politics and permit the
people to vote on 1t in a purely non
lpartisan basis.
w. J. Hungate of Shelby county fol-
lowed Mr.. Leeds and indorsed his
statements. Then c. B. Hunt, a Wayne
county dry leader, also indorsed the
views of Mr. Leeds. F. w. Hemenway
of Union county, who had been elected
contingent elector, followed Mr.. Hunt
and made a plea for county local op-
ton. After him G. r. Carter of Fay
cite county was recognized by the
chair and he stated that the delega-
ton from his county was dry" to a
man but that they were all opposed to
a county local option plank in the plat
form Eve are for the initiative and
the referendum to solve this vital
Question" shouted Mr.. Carter, "and
we indorse the stand taken by Mr.
Leeds" A storm of applause followed
his remarks.
y SteeIe's Address.
One of the most remarkable address
es indorsing the initiative and refer
endum as the method of solving the
: liquor question was made by r. R.
Steele of Henry county. Mr.. Steele has
for years been in the forefront of the
temperance movement in this state, at
the same time he believes the county
local option plank is not the proper
method of reaching a verdict on the
question. This question should not
be brought up at the formation of a
new party" he said. "Give the people
the initiative and the referendum and
: they will solve it once and for all.
The party itself has more vital ques-
tions to deal with" Mr.. Steele then
made a savage attack on the Indiana
polls News, the New Castle Courier
and other standpat papers, alleging
they were responsible for dragging
the county local option question be-
fore the Progressive party convention.
!. He said the New Castle Courier was
,hypocritical and was really not a tenn
perance paper, such as it pretends to
. ing that the Progressive party was in
Ialliance with Tom Taggart
Elmer Oldaker of Wayne county, a
member of the lower branch of the
Indiana legislature and a prominent
dry" advocate, also declared for the
initiative and referendum as the prop
| er machinery to employ in reaching a
idecision on the liquor question.
Before the vote was taken on the
nomination of Mr.. Leeds to the reso-
tlutions committee Vice Chairman Ha-
vens asked for and was granted per
mission to make few remarks and