The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1916-02-25


submitted the following:
To the Editor OF The Palladium-It
did not need Mr.. John M. Lontz's mag
nificent address Of few days ago in
Richmond to convince the voters that
he Is not a pork barrel politician,
that II he were sent to Washington to
represent HIS district in congress he
would not be a rubber stamp" con-
gresham in the hands Of special priv.
ileges.
Mr.. Lontz's record as a successful
manufacturer of goods sold in open
competition In the markets OF the
world and his desire to maintain and
augment his industry would be an alb.
solute guarantee against two things;
he would never give his support and
his vote to any measures destructive
Of American industries, nor would he
give his voice and vote in support of
any measure whereby few privi-
legged interests were permitted to eX-
plot the smaller, independent indus
tries.
Praises lontz's Record.
Mr.. Lontz's record as an outstanding,
outspoken, Independent business man
is guarantee that he would never
stoop to wear the yoke Of party
boss, never swap" his vote, disgrace
his intelligence and belle his years OF
business practices by helping to put
over lot of crooked appropriations or
help to pass a lot OF half-baked or
privilege dictated legislation. There
isn't any doubt in the minds of his
fellow townsmen but that, as congress
man. John NJ. Lontz would carry his
sovereignty under his hat and attempt
to conduct public affairs as he con-
Quoted his business affairs.
For fifty years the people have been
putting men in congress for almost
every reason than that they were quail.
flied to assist In the management Of
national affairs. They have been Sc
lected because they were good fe'-
lows" because they were eloquent ora
tors, because they were chronic office
holders who were given seat in con-
gress to "round out their career OF
living off the public; because they
were reliable party men" and could
be depended upon to let some one else
do their thinking; and for numerous
other reasons that no manager or
store, superintendent of factory or
railroad, president of bank, or own
u Oh 1dTUl WOulu SNCI dSSCPt III
picking his assistants
Results Of Mismanasement.
The result of this sort of nationa!
mismanagement is beginning to assert
itself. The nation awakens during a
crisis to find it's house Is not in order.
to learn that 1t is unprepared to meet
peaceful competition.
Il, RI, hC
fact that notwithstanding more money
has been appropriated In the United
States in the last fifteen years for
naval purposes than by any other ma
ton in the world, excepting Great
Britain, the navy in that time has de-
clined from second to fifth; or that
under the administration of the last
fifteen years our military defenses
have declined to where they are prac-
tically nil, and yet the per capita ex
pense Of our standing army is the
highest in the world.
Flag is Stranger on Seas.
After nearly half a century of peace,
with insuar possession and larger
coast line and more ports than any
nation in the world our flag is a
stranger to the seven seas, and we arc
wholly dependent upon foreign mer-
chant vessels to carry the products of
our factory, mine and farm to foreign
customers.
After fifty years Of high protective
tariff that was supposed to enable our
manufacturers to capture foreign mar
kets and protect American workmen,
we awake to find that we have lost
not only foreign markets but the cut
ting off of manufactured imports by
the war has paralyzed our own activl-
ties, thus showing that our manufac |
turers did not keep hold even of their !
own markets.
Protection for American workmen |
has been a farce that amounts to a
tragedy. Under the policies of the !
last fifty years the American laborer |!
has been driven out of industry by the
influx of cheap. illiterate foreigners,
until today Americans are a rarity in
many industries, and In twenty of the |
leading Industries Of the nation for
eign born. foreign speaking, unnatur- |
allied workmen constitute over half |
the working force and they are work
ing for wages and under conditions |
that the American could not accept and |