South Bend news-times., 1915-03-04
WILSON AND BRYAN GET
THE BOOT.


We are still entertaining hope that
the democratic party will sufficiently
come 10 its own rescue in Indiana that
Exclusive reliance upon Woodrow
Wilson will not. after the present ses-
sion Of the legislature be necessary
10 maintain the partisan dignity.
If it should transpire after next
Tuesday morning that we have to
plead guilty to having misled our
readers during the fall campaign, with
our assurances that the democratic
party in Indiana would be. equal TO its
state platform. please don't blame US
We made our representations in good
faith. We believed the democratic
party To be a progressive party, but if
IL should prove that we were mis-
taken. kindly excuse us. Perhaps we
had not learned as yet how little
platform pledges really should mean.
When we were pointing with pride
10 Woodrow Wilson. during the fall
campaign, urging that his hands be
upheld by returning democratic SEN
ators and representatives to congress-
would TO an extent be q reputation
; OF his policies we hardly anticipated
that within a half-year. democratic
hoor leaders Of the state assembly
would be casting slurs at him. or that
his advice to the state would be as
ruthlessly thrown 10 the winds, as now
seems possible.
Sen Van Nuys make-shift primary
bill. may be sufficient to satisfy our
readers. but it will scarcely satisfy us
that the party has kept faith. 1t is
i true that the president and his sec
retary Of state. both of whom have
always seemingly been welcome Wis
itors 10 Indiana, and whose virtues
| have always loomed large when avail
i able TO gather in the votes. had some
thing to do with the placing of pri-
mary plank in the state platform. but
| the democrats of Indiana put it there
and upon that plank as much as any
other. every state officer made his
campaign.
II an efficient primary law is not
. passed. Pres't Wilson has been repud-
from which we can see it@not repu-
| dated by the people. but by the dem
ocratic ohiciaIdom OF the state.
through which the leebple ordinarily
must speak after they have got
through speaking at the polls. Indeed,
we are afraid that it Will tax the in
genuity OF the democratic press pretty
heavily two years hence. 10 be able TO
| hold the democratic party in Indiana
up TO the standards of Wilson and
Bryan. and make those gentlemen
appear TO justify confidence in such
. democracy. It was a comparatively
easy matter last fan. is different
. now. or will be. if primary legislation
/ turns out as now seems probable 1t
| may actually require "a million dollar
/ democratic rally at Indianapolis. with
"a legislative genius at the pen. to work
il out It can hardly be expected that
such "valueless aides" as the demo-
cratic newspapers of South Bend Ft.
Wayne. Terre Haute. Evansville. etc,
-as the classification was handed
down al the joint caucus OF the TWO
houses Of the assembly Monday night
will he able To conceive such an eN-
| quisite hypocrisy. wherefore we drop
/ ia as though IL were hot potato.
IL is not up to the democratic press
! Of the state TO deceive the people With
regard 10 the honor and integrity OF
the party. Modern newspaperdom
does not presume even the party press
90 furnish "A cloak behind which par
tisaus in office can have their work
! hidden and disguised. The press that
| deserves the confidence of its readers
must not be a false-face. The masses
OF mankind have reached a degree OF
intelligence. and though YOU may
fool some of the people all the time,
| and an the people some of the time,
/ YOU can't fool all the people all the
| time"
We said we were still entertaining
hopes We are. We cannot as Yet
believe that those legislators who were
4 literally drawn into their assembly
chairs at the state house. by hanging
. fast 10 Woodrow Wilson'S and VIII
liam Jennings Bryans coat-tails. are
going 10 wind mp now 10y giving those
two great leaders the boot.
"