South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-25
NEW BRAND OF SUBTERFUGE
To SAVE POTTAWATOMIE
PARK

What the legislators at Indianapo-
lis viii think OF 10 when they come
10 learn of the deception that is be-
ing practiced upon them by lobbyists
back OF the interests that are pushing
the Pottawatomie park retention in
behalf of the city park board it viii
bc difficult TO guess Here is one Of
them:
II the county gets hold of Pot
taWa'omie park under ehe plan
thai ~ To come before the legisls-
ture. it will detract from the
value Of the ST. Mary's academy
property. and the plan is to 10
cate "A fair ground and race track,
right In front of the institution
Somebody is mighty hard up for an
argument as everybody IN South Bend
will Immediately recognize. Potta-
watomie park isn't less than three
miles from the academy. and its with
drawal from park uses would detract
about rs much from the value of st.
Marys property as it would from the
majestic poise of the Goddess of Lib
erty. Any opportunity for the loca-
ton of fair ground near the proper
~ Is equally absurd
This particular lobbyist Of course,
is not "A registered one-the legisla-
ture has not. as vet required the lob
byists TO register Possibly it never
viii. The right of a representative
OF "A community or OF particular in
forest 10 present any particular View
or a bill coming before the legislature,
ought rot 10 be denied. but there
ought To be an element of truth assoc
ciated with the View-the semi-ab-
sence of which, on SO many occasions
like this. being the very sort of thing
that is making lobbyist regulation de-
sirable Maybe it would not cover the
point. but it might have an effect.
This instrumentation was put for
weird on the assumption. we suppose.
tnat by playing upon the prejudice of
certain legislator. particularly
friendly TO the academy. his services
woAld be forever secured. and. that
owing &c the nature of the prejudice
ne would never give away the source
of it, III this y the best that the city,
the park board. or the particular in
terest can do. we suggest that they
had better quit trying-and incident
ally. speaking of registered lobbyists,
such a register might serve 70 dis
close the more direct source of his
employment. which we half opine,
might be traceable TO the owner o. a
considerable 'unearned Increment in
the vicinity of the park. and who to
preserve it is willing To play the ST.
Mary's gag. or most any subterfuge
capable Of cOncoction.
II is really almost as good as Mayor
Keller's continued anu-race track
ratings contrived TO appeal To pious
preiudices here at home. II is eX-
pected, apparently 10y the city hall
crowd and their admiring consti;u-
ents.. that the general public is SO OBJ
cessed with the unparalleled virtue Of
an present administration purposes,
that nothing counter thereto can ccme
up without having vice string ted
10 it. and hence. of course. the race
track is never mentioned without an
appendix about gambling.
Maybe our very high-minded adj
ministration. and its public spirited
hackers. imagine that they have a
monopoly of world Righteousness. and
that any end 10 which they may aim,
being consequently infalHble, any
means To that end is justifiable Aft
or the manner of Napoleon, who put
"God always on the SIDE
of the heaviest battaHdns." they tell
sfr., d.
ton is i'm South Bend and MishawaEa,
and hence the right To literally rob the
remaining twenty per cent. is Of
heavenly visitation Talk about i'm
juring ST Nary's academy from three
miles across the city. where il is
thoUght that il can Ice made 90 count,
and about race track gambling for
Il effectiveness in another quarter: any
thing in fact 20 befoE the real Issue.
seems 20 be the right idea. with this
/ self-assumed moral aristocracy.
But after All it is "a moral aristoc-
racy that counts merely the dollars.
especially I'm tins instance Souih
Bend wants that park and doesn't
want TO pay for IT, That is all there
is 10 il. It can have the park under
the bin 10 90 before the legislature.
but not unless il does pay for &c. The
bin guarantees that there viii be no
fair grounds or race track ou the
grounds The people OF the vicinity
need worry no more from that score.
why not meet the issue. fair and
square Subterfuge may gain "A few
votes. perhaps in the legislature. but
* isn't quite straight wherever You
find it. and it scarcely ever pays in |
the long run.