The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-09-25

pie have tried to correct it they have
met the combined Democratic and Re
publican bosses over there at Indiana
polls in the legislature, defeating it
and fighting it. Why didn't Governor
Marshall exercise at least his moral
influence as leader of the people of
this state and send message to the
legislature and ask why such bill
Is not reported out and considered
when a million dollars of the peoples
money is concerned in this state every
year I don't know why he didn't do it,
but | will tell you what, If | am Gov
ernor, that bill will not only go
through the house, but ii will go
through the Senate, too, or there will
be the biggest row in Indiana you ev-
er heard of. Did you hear anything
about that from the Republican or
Democratic candidates in their plat
forms? And yet people who pretend to
be for good roads are fighting me
alone, when l am the only man, and
we are the only party pledged upon
our honor on this matter.
Now, listen to this. Tell me, you
people, why don't we have free school
books in Indiana? (ApplauseD And
why are your school books changed
now every two or three years? CAP
pIause) Every time that change oc-
ours, scores of thousands of dollars go
from the pockets of the parents of
this state into the pockets of whom?
we got that law in Indiana? Free
school books for our children That is
more important, even, than roads. The
bipartisan boss system, Democratic
and Republican bosses getting togeth-
er, have prevented every law for
free school book system in this state,
and why? Because the school book
trust and the railroad contract graft
system, and the public service cor
porations and every other vile form
of capital in this state, are members
of our local Indiana invisible govern
ment, as the greater interests are
members of the national invisible gov
eminent, and the bipartisan boss sys-
tenn serves them both.
What say the Democrats and Re-
publicans on the matter of free
free school book plank was turned
down in the platform of the Democrat
ic and Republican parties, at the bid
ding of the machine which ran those
conventions. What do we say about
it? We say in our platform, and what
we say in our platform we must carry
out-The people of Indiana shall have
free school books as soon as they give
us the power to give it to them. Cap
plause.)
81 don't know about Richmond. I
do know about Indianapolis, South
Bend, Evansville. Fort Wayne, and in
all the other towns, the light we read
by, the heat we are warmed and cook
by, the water we drink, the tram cars
that carry us; nearly all our public
necessities are furnished by public
service corporations, and what do
they do? They furnish just such SER
vice as they please; just charge us
what they want to charge us; make
no accounting to anybody; nobody is
controlling them. There are cases on
record where the sale of impure wa
ter has caused typhoid fever epidem-
les that swept scores of people into
their graves. Why is that condition in
this state? Why haven't we got pub
Tic utilities commission that will go
to all out public service corporations
and say, you furnish good service to
the people; good light; pure water;
good transportation, and you charge
them an honest price for it, and if
you don't do that, we will take your
franchise away and give it to some
person who will, under the power of
the state" (Applause.) The Demo
cratic convention turned the public
utilities plank down; wouldn't have
it; wouldn't hear to it, and when the
Progressives put powerful public
utilities commission plank in our plat
form, the Republican machine put in
a weak imitation of it in their plat
form. Let me say to you that if you
give the Progressives power in this
state, we will give you a public utili-
ties commission that has teeth and
will bite If am Governor and appoint
that commission, l will see that it
does bite. too. (Applause)"