The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1917-06-15
Federal Government May Show
Republican State Officials
the Way.
GREATHOUSE FOR CHAIRMAN
Indiana Capital City Had Clean Bill
to Present I'm Contest for
Military Camp.
BY Willis :. Thompson.

inquire into the reasons why coal'
should be costing more than several
times a reasonable price, and why,
arbitrarily the coal operators should!
be advising the people to put in their|
winter supply if they do not wish to]
pay still moSe. with the coming of
the federal INQUIRY there is prospect
that people may have an answer to-
some of these interesting questions,
l.. Ert Slack, United States district
attorney, will act for the federal de-,
partment of justice.
While the Indiana public serviceI
commission got no further than to]
make the discovery that prices werel
high, limiting the punishment TO the,
calling of ugly names to some of thel
operators, and concluding with the!
announcement that there was no rem-|
edy for the conditions, the commission]
got about as far as the people Who'll
understand conditions expected. Butt
the people do not believe there is mol
remedy" The people have alwaysI
believed there was a remedy for SUCH
a condition of highway robbery andl
burglary, else why are we in this war;
fighting for democracy and against
autocracy?
One of the hard-headed practical
members of the council for defense:
appointed by Governor Goodrich hadI
an argument with an, operator at one|
of the meetings the other day. The:
operator was commenting on how
operators had been abused in theI
utterances of the public service conf
mission. This member of the council
reminded him that the young men who'd
were enlisting to 90 10 the front, oneI
of the objects attained by the sacrifce|
of life and money being to protect
such property interests as those of
coal operators, might feel disposed tol
balk at sacrificing life for thirty doll
lars a month, when il was apparent
taken away from the soldiers family
by the coal barons back home.
There are conditions of ownership
among the operators which did not
I serve to encourage consumers to ex-|
pect any great things from their statel
government. For officials. however,
sincere, are not usually anxious toj
have their w oxen gored.
But the federal investigation is not
likely to respect persons or their likes|
or dislikes. 1t will probably insist
upon answers to some important ques-l
tons, however annoying they may be,
to any one. And when it is over there|
Is reason to believe some remedy will
be found that will be effective. War|
prices need not prevail beyond the
legitimate advances in the cost of
labor, of reasonable transportation
charges and fair profits to operators.
1t might not be impossible for the
government TO become an operator on
Its " account as a war measure, and
for the good of all the people it might
be found to be a irst-class arrange
ment permanently.
Earnest effort is being made by
Indianapolis to secure tie permanent
military camp. Louisville won the
temporary conscription camp. One Of
the government requirements made on
al cities were clean surroundings, and
in this the city of Indianapolis APP
pealed especially.
While things were far from what
they should have been when the Re
publicans capYulated to Mayor Bell
and the Democrats, public gambling
places, open saloon violations and un-
desirable vice conditions have been
eliminated. An occasional violation
appears, and becau-o Of its scarcity
the unfriendly press cXaggerates the
discovery into matter of importance,
and would give the impression that
such conditions are the rule rather
than the exception.
When the present city administra-
ton came into power, wide-open
gambling and vice resorts were the
rule and not the exception. News
papers were silent on the subject.
Lew Shank admits in all his campaign
speeches that persons connected with
his administration levied tribute on
these d~lsrepu'able resorts. He says il
was because OF this he resigned.
Indianapolis wishes to continue n
clean city, and it is because Of this,
for one reason at least. that Dick
Miller Is receiving such generous sup
port from voters Of all political be-
liefs, Is the Democratic nominee for
mayor.
In discussing the selection Of n
btiiotidti1 state C~hdlIUan, ana the
willingness of Charles A. Greathouse
10 serve, the Democratic press seems
unanimous. The Fof Wayne Journal
Gazette expresses what is taken as A
fair. sample of the combined editorial
opinions. II says:
"Mr. Greathouse has all the quail
fcations. Young, energetic, original,
enthusiastic, t%actful, popular, pro-
gressive, he is just the man 10 lead
the party of Woodrow Wilson in the
next great battle. Although always
interested in politics he has never
been a politician in the wira-pulling,
self-seesing sense. His record "a
superintendent of public instruction is
brilliant. His work IN connection with
the introduction of vocational educa-
ton into the schools of Indiana at
tracted the attention and admiration
Of educators fhrouUhouf the pasto,