South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-01-20
Republicans Keep
Busy Insulting
The ProgreSsiucs
Nevs-Times Special Service.

News Times Special Service
INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 1s-The
republican leaders in the state ana
nation are working so industriously
and so earnestly. insulting progress
sive members of the party and in
swatting progressive and right
thinking people generally, that it is
hard TO discuss any of their acts
without referring TO or at least max
ing the facts conspicuous
While the republican national
committee down in New York is en-
gagged in telling progressives "where
10 head in" and while Mr.. Perkins.
hnancier OF the republican cam
paign. the other day, was telling the
country that people had done right
in repudiating the party in 1915 the
fact is not overlooked that he blam-
ed the larger part OF the insults
flung at progressives to the Indiana
representative, one Jim Hemenway.
Still further. IL would be overlook
ing an important part of the story 10
say that If there is anything the
New York meeting forgets 20 do
along the line of waIloping progress
sives, the folks right here at home
will see that the work is properly
finished. What Gov. Goodrich fails
TO remember the republican majority
in the legislature will think about
and do.
For instance. in the campaign of
1912 II there is any one thing that
the progressive party. in the nation
and state, was strong for, il was
woman suffrage. There were nearly
200. 900 of these voters i'm Indiana
and there were over 100000 again
in 1914. Among their number one
Bush. who was elected lieutenant
governor on the republican ticket in
1916, his name on the ticket being
one of the bats put out TO catch
progressive votes for such reaction
aries as Goodrich. Watson and New.
Bush Straddles Fence.
Now that the legislature is in ses-
sion the worst Of the standpat press
is denouncing Bush for insulting the
excellent women before the legisIa>
ture asking only fair treatment.
The senate rule. made by Lieut.
Gov. Bush himself. is that any SEN
ator introducing bill may select the
committee 20 which he wishes il
referred. When the prohibition bill
was introduced il was most unex-
pected that the authors of the bill
would ask that it be sent TO the
dry committee headed by Arthur
Robinson, the republican floor lead
err. This spoiled all that he had done
as lieutenant-gov in naming a
wet committee to handle that very
bill.
When the suffrage bill was pre-
scented he had been better coached,
and he sent the bill TO the commit
tee that had been selected for the
special purpose OF killing anything
OF this sort
As said many times IL is not a
question of arguing the right or
wrong of any Of the big questions
that are pending in this legislature.
il is question OF what the repub-
lican state machine. controlling
powerful lobby. demands. This ma
chine demands that anything that
has the faint OF proEressiveism must
he strangled. Under these orders the
republican majority is doing some
splendid work The lobby of the
Claypool hotel. and many rooms in
the same building. are the slaughter
ing places Of all legislation not in
harmony with the wishes OF republi-
can maChinists
Ousting Bull NIOOsc-s.
And as though this were not sufri-
cient TO satisfy the most exacting of
reactionaries Gov. Goodrich is work
ing over time Kidding the state house
Of any progreSsives who may have
been inherited from the Ralston ad-
ministration-and they were not
many. This. also, has been openly
charged TO have been at the instiga-
ton of powerful corporate interests
especially i'm the arbitrary at
tempt 10 remove Edwin NJ Lee from
the public service commission.
one legislative move that has been
started through the bill hopper is
so splendidly republican in charac-
ter that il reminds one of the good
old days when they we're ruling the
state and pilinE up he debt Of
more than 100000 which the
democrats paid. This present move
is to raise the pay of members OF
the general assembly from SO per
day 70 $40 per day. and TO increase
the mileage Of members from 10
cents a mile travelled, going and
coming. 10 % cents a mile What IL
actually costs them 10 travel is two
cents a mile. under a law OF their
own making. This bill is introduced
by Rep. W. Z. Williams. republican
Of POOnViIIe