South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-04-07

persona NON GRATA" BAKER.


Every little while someone. honest in their
cussedness than they polite talks too much and
you get insight things that have
less perplexing The attacks being made upon secy
of War Baker. and the behind them, they
occasionally leak out in spots, illustra-
ton. seems reliable South man Of small
financial sanding and influence in business, social
and public utility circles-inadvertently while in
anger furnishing the 1t all because the
t,ry war, city attorney Cleveland under the
Mark Hanna administration hated Tom L. Johnson,
and later mayor Of Cleveland himself served the
people against the public utility interests. How can
he be IN efficient secretary OF war?
Such is the reasoning of our local friend-who hates
municipal ownership and all brands OF utility regula
the devil hates heaven-and there you have
it; a resentment Of his appointment to the
ret1ryship political financial resent
ment always attractive republican leadership and
the capitalist press quite always in the nature Of
things. also republican. 1t is the same clique that
would prevented the appointment of Mr.. Justice
Btandes the United States supreme court if they
could have. going to greater lengths in this in
making their fight after the appointment
though tend to embarrass the nation in a great in
ternational struggle They would wreck America
rather than have men in high places minded to hold
them to the rules of social and economic justice
tipped to the motive. the connection is not
hard to find Early and chief among rhe assaants
of sec'y Baker have been Congressman Medhl Nc
Cormick OF Illinois, and the Chicago Tribune of his
family Mccormick would, if Mark Hanna were alive.
he his son-in-law He married Hanna's daughter.
These and the Cleveland Daily News and Leader-also
Hanna properties-wi probably forget the fight
that Mr.. Baker made first Tom Johnson's legal
advisor and as Cleveands executive, AGAINST the
graftng OF the Hanna octopus upon the Cleveland
public.
lie not only made his business to effectually handle
the street railway service in Cleveland but he made
rfe mere or less miserable for the and electric
magnates-from whence his refusal to be molly
coddled bought bullyragged browbeaten or otherwise
submissive his CALDER the current knowledge
of Wall ST. which the heart of finance shot II out
through all the financial circles of the land.
There is your man Newton D. Baker and the es-
SERGE he that arrayed against him; not
alone political but politico-fna ncial-whch in this
country is a synonym for republico-fnanciaL He is
victim i'm Washington having displeased the fat
contributors" to republican campaign funds through
his un-ca ptalistic activities Cleveland. Accordingly
he must be punished the political party must be
punished which toerates such men in its councils
That is all there is to it. His administration is
in fact a secondary consideration with the bather-
sixties who are slandering his work few months
ago it was secy Daniels He had offended the liquor
interests by kicking their damnabe stuff out of the
navy. and he had offended the Du Points, the de
Nennours and United States. Bethlehem and Midvale
steel by insisting upon cutting their gratis through
the esta bishnent of government powder and amor
plate plants.
wherefore the FAT contributions of these interests
being needed for 1915 republican campaign tuhds'
Daniels had to be damned, and wherefore the Navy
league as sort of ladies' aid society to help do the
damning.
But now it is Baker who has sinned against the
"bolv ghost"-the interests that fill the republican
campaign pot" sinned against it in a number oil
we not only in DAYS agone back in Cleveland. but
in fact nv being so blamed efficient that he is keeping
graft pretty well out Of the war-no "emoa"eu
beef" scandals for instance. and so on
Crafters naturally, want secretary OF war upo"
.vbou they can graft and the favored party OF the
arafters: grafters through prohteering and specdl
ilege needs Of course to stand by its friends.
THE PLAN THAT FAILED.