The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1922-06-05
MINORITY
COERCION
WITNESSED
Sane Men Demand to Know
Better Method OF
Operation
TIMES BUREAU AT STATE CAPITAL
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TIMES BUREAU AT SIAIE @ArliAAJ
INDIANAPOLIS, June 5.-Ths
state conventions over republicans
and democrats are now taking
stock and preparing for a little
est before launching into one OF
the most vigorous campaigns Indi-
n has ever seen,
The failure of either party to pro-
duce a platform of conspicuous APP
peal makes IL certain that the cam
paign will be fought on the per-
sonalities of Albert J. Beverage
and Samuel NJ. Ra1ston. nominees
for United States senator on the re-
publican and democratic tickets re-
spectively.
A DEMOGoGIC APPEAL.
Perhaps there was only n sub
italized on and set out to make a
demagogic and radical appeal.
which would have caused a great
deal Of worry in the republican
camp. This would have been an
outright demand for the repeal OF
the public service commission law
A large element in the democratic
party was undoubtedly in favor of
this course and openly declared
during the preliminaries OF the
state convention that only by spon-
soring such a cause could the par
ty hope to overcome the normal
republican strength.
Instead the democratic platform
r. -
publicans and made a conditional
declaration that IL would abolish
the utilities commission.
A HowLING MINORITY.
Privately the leaders in both
parties say that these public serv-
Ice commission planks in the plat
forms are illustrations of how a
bowling majority can coerce par
ties into making declarations they
do not mean. Those who are well
informed in Indiana politics de-
chance of the utilities commission
being abolished no matter how the
election. goes for the reason that
sane men demand to know some
better method of operation before
they are willing to abandon the
one they have.
AS both parties have taken Writ
ually the same stand on the utilities
law. and as neither one of them are
overly anxious to talk about the
law in the campaign. it appears
the text books of the campaign
III
this fall.
A sOP TO RADICALS.
Anxious to throw a sop to the
large number of radicals in the
party. the democrats adopted four
separate home rule planks which
jump all over boards and COM
missions" in general and talk about
their "autocratic' powers and how
their authority should be TORI from
them. Yet It Is significant that
with the exception of the tax board
boards and commissions which
are so obnoxious.
On the contrary, Mr.. Ralston,
fearing the strength of the radi-
calls, wen before them prior to the
selection of the resolutions COM
mittee and made a plea for the var
fous commissions which were under
attack. OF course he told the rad
icals that the republicans were mis-
managing the boards. bu he named
the utilities commission, the state
Industrial board and the state board
Of accounts specifically and assert
ed they should not be abolished for
they are necessary in the operation
OF the government.
This speech by Ralston polite
ians to be n OF the bravest things
they ever saw done in the bitter
arena of a convention. He called
out to the members Of his party to
be sane when the popular thing
would have been to play the part of
a demogogue and feed the masses
with battle cries TO ignite their
prejudices.
"REPEAL OF TAX LAW
1t Is very plain the democrats are
relying upon one issue in the cam
paign. That is the repeal OF the
present tax law
w pledge the democratic party
to repeal the Goodrich tax Law and
to restore the tax board 20 its ORIG
NAL status, n of appeal and
equalization. to the end that taxes
may be reduced and the people of
every community permitted to gov