Evening star., 1922-10-27
SHOWS
NERVE IN INDIANA
Republican Claims Cut to
$4,000 Majority, But Party
Is Sure to Win.
BREAKS WITH LAB0RlTES
Candidate Running on Firm Stand
Against Adamson Law and for
Lower Wages.
BREAKS WITH LAB0RITES
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. October 81
Indiana is shifting. Early this year
it would have been safe to predict the
election Of former Senator Beveridge.
republican. by an overwhelming ma
5ority. Today the race is closer. The
republicans themselves. who carried
the state for Harding by $4,000 two
years ago, are claiming 1t by only
$4,000 now.
Something has happened to reduce
the theoretical strength of the re.
publicans. Mostly 1t is the activity OF
! the democrats, VINO have .aken adNan-
tage of every state and national issue.
For example, Mr.. Beveridge in his at
tempt to get the farmer vote by ex-
planning that freight rates must come
down. urges publicly that the Adam,
son eight-hOur law be repealed and
railroad wages reduced.
BeveridEe Not Timid.
It's new thing for a candidate
to boldly advocate lower wages. but
Mr. Beveridge is not timid. He played
to the discontented elements in the
primary and caught the radicals then
enough to win the nomination. Now
he is corralling the conservatives and
farmers.
Naturally the democrats do not hesi-
| tate to come in behind Mr.. Beveridge
and collect the labor vote. Samuel
| Ralston, the democratic nominee FOR
| United States senator. made good
| record as governor and is fghting
hard. His campaign managers have as
! sumed in the last few days a mystl-
! flying confidence. They exepect to win.
and one of the managers who is not
| usually given to extravagant state
| ments thinks Ralston will triumph
| by $4,000.
! No Signs Of Earthquake.
To turn a state from $4,000 repub-
lican to $4,000 democratic requires an
| upheaval that can be seen with the
naked eye. Manifestations of discon-
tent are here in plenty. but no signs
of an earthquake. If MIR. Ralston
beats Mr.. Beveridge it will be the
surprise Of a century. The fact that
the race is close will in itself be un-
! expected to many who have watched
! Some Of the uncertainty arises, of
| course. from the fact that the pri-
mary fight between Senator New and
/ former Senator Beveridge for the re-
| publican nomination was bitter. Mr..
New hasn't been going around the
state exhorting his followers to for
| get what happened and stick to the
! grand old party. He is to make one
| speech-it is what is called 'preserv-
ing regularity but the average voter
| isn't enthused by these maneuvers Of
political formality.
! Protests Not Numerous Enough.
The rift is there-it will gain votes
| for Ralston, but 1t will not be enough
; in itself to overthrow Beverdige. The
detection Of the labor vote will not
| be sufficient. The protest votes must
come from other and more numerous
sources.
There is unquestionably here a de-
c;ded anti-administration sentiment.
Not all of it was emitted in the
Beveriuge-New primary. in which Mr..
New was known to be pleading for
support on the ground Of his intimacy
| with the Harding administration.
forcement of prohibition has pro-
duced one kind of reaction and that
lack of enforcement has in some in
stances brought dissatisfaction with
| the national administration.
Political Ferment Noticeable.
Whatever it is, whether clumsy inter-
ference by the federal government or
the growth Of 'bootlegging. the signs
of political ferment are noticeable. The
only question is whether the negative
feeling cuts deep enough to hurt the re-
publican ticket. State issues will have
much to do with the result Taxation
Is a sore point here as elsewhere. The
party IN power always gets the brunt
of that kind of criticism.
Indiana always gets more excited in
the last ten days about politics than
other states. The party organizations
here usually do their intensive work at
i the last minute. The shifting of politi-
cal tides makes both sides uncertain, but
a fair conclusion at this writing is that
Beveridge will win.
Copyright, 1927