The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-09-04
THE POISON SQUAD

If women Of the State are incensed that the
leader of the Republican organization, acting for
James E. Watson is accredited with an interview In
which she claimed the existence Of her own private
"poison squad" their anger might take more direct
and practical form than resentment against the lady
True she has denied the interview. And two
newspaper men with much detail and corroborative
circumstance, insist that the honor of reporter is
quite as delicate matter the veracity of lady
and declare that the interview is correct.
So whether you are chivarous and believe that
she never gave the interview idealist and trust
the reporters makes little difference because the
big fact remains that poison squad is just about
what Watson needed at the time he was running
for the nomination.
1t needs but glance at the way he treated the
corrupt practices act and his evasons Of it to I'M
derstand that he would not resent the use of such
an organization If needed.
The law controlling expenditures in primaries is
designed to make public all moneys spent by candi-
dates. -
The theory of it is that every candidate must
give to the voters the information concerning the
means by which he obtained the votes in his own
party.
Publicity is the underlying principle Of the law,
and a candidate who believes in clean elections and
in decent government would, of course, try to give
the greatest publicity to his expense account
When the report of Watson filed it was hid
den in the inaccessible county seat in the State
It was filed in the town of English. trip from
the State capital the center of political information
in the State, requires considerable travelling Most
people make it by going first into Kentucky.
When discovered that report showed only the
money spent by the Watson Club after the day that
the petition for Watson had been officially filed.
That probably fills the needs Of the corrupt prac-
tees act of the State 1t Just certainly avoids the
purpose of that law
II any proof be needed that Watson spend
ing money long before he announced, officially his
candidacy 1t be found in interview accredited
to him in the Indianapolis News on July 80, 1925,
month sbefore that event, in which he announced
the appointment of Mrs. Wheatcraft his personal
representative.
In the Interview which that manager now denies,
there printed the statement that she had been
working for year for Watson under salary.
The official expense account, probably techni
callv. within the law shows no such expenditure.
It might interest the Reed committee to discover
whether others in the employ of Watson during
those same months and how long in advance he had
been. hiring workers to build up that magnificent
machine" which Motto, his manager, once boosted
had 100000 workers
Were any Of them hired, and II 3d. how much
did they get and where did the money come from?
Watson had always declared for lavish use or
money in elections legitimate. He announced
from the floor of the Senate that the people of In
diana approved his vote for Newberryism.
He gave his opinion of the sense of honesty
and decency of tho voters of Indiana in that state
ment
Why, under these circumstances, should any one
resent the Of poison squad?"
Watson has always used methods quite as bad.
II the stand for his open accusation that
they approve Of Newberry's tactics, why kick about
the whispering women?