South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-12-23

| lNDlANAPOLlS, Dec. Gov.
Goodrich cannot fail to call a spe-
cial session Of the Indiana legisla
ture without alternating from the re-
publican party a great part of the
membership of the American Lee
| gion and incuring the hostility of
| that organization as a body.
For the committee of the Legion
\ on whose shoulders rests the ar
rangements for the erection in In-
/ diana of a memorial in the form of
suitable headquarters for the Lee
gion has what it regards as the alb
| solute assurances of the governor
/ that a special session will be called
| and among the things that will be
placed before il will be a bill for
an appropriation to help in the cree
| ton OF suitable building 10 house the
Legion.
Not only has the governor given
/ the impression in public addresses
/ 10 the Legion that he would call the
! special session and support such a
/ program but he has privately as
sured the committee that the ses-
sion and appropriation would be
forthcoming"
| Debate Meaning.
| Members Of the committee have
/ debated his language carefully and
they have decided that it could mean
nothing else than a call by him for
/ the legislature. They admit that he
| has not promised them TO issue the
/ call on any certain date. but they
say that he told them they could
! rest assured" that the call would
/ materialize and they are resting as
sured" on the theory that Gov. Good
/ rich will either call the legislature
| or stand convicted of a double
! cross" such as will be a direct slap
/ at the whole Legion.
| Members Of the Legion recall that
! the governor gave the women or In
| diana assurances that he would is
sue the call, and even intimated to
| them the date on which he expected
! to issue il, that that date passed
without action and another date was
! tentatively fixed for the session. But
/ as yet no one has heard the COVER
| nor say whether he will or will not.
/ IN so many words. a few days ago
he denied specifically that he had
said he would not issue the call. but
I he qualified his position in the next
| breath by the statement that the
/ matter was undecided"
ArOuses Suspicion.
This statement aroused the sus-
I piciOns Of the members of the Lee
/ gion's committee and ii is currently
rumored that they called on the gov
/ ernOr and demanded TO know wheth-
| er their plans for a headquarters
were 10 be sacrificed TO the Goodrich
/ political ambitions or whether they
| could proceed on the theory that the
state would show it's appreciation of
making indianapolis the headquar-
ters Of the ex-soldiers.
/ From this conference report
comes the further rumor that when
the governor was backed into the
| corner and informed that the COM
mittee insisted on some definite
word. he told them they could rest
assured" that the session would be
called and their appropriation mea-
sure placed before IT,
The pressure on Gov. Goodrich
for special session is now becoming
SO strong that il does not seem pos
/ sible he can ignore il. The women
OF the state are determined that he
keep his promise 20 them and ratify
the suffrage amendment. The SOL
diers OF the Legion are determined
that the legislature pass on the Ques-
ton OF state aid in the construction
OF "a suitable headquarters for their
home. Neither Of these bodies can
be 'double-crossed" without array
ing against the republican party a
mass Of voters whom the party needs
TO retain control OF the state. This
fact has been impressed on the gov
ernor many times and is now being
impressed on VIII Hays. national
chairman in a way that is more than
embrassing TO him
Dislike Republicans.
The soldiers are none too favor
|. ably inclined toward the republican
p party anyhow, since that body elect
ed 20 hold its national convention in
Chicago. on the invitation OF Mayor
Thompson. who pro-Germsn stand
resulted in placing Chicago in a mos;
uuenviable position while the Le-
gion was abroad lighting the same
Influences i'm Europe The soldiers
4 ,.e.ur tho urourfupuCc az the Ger