The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-09-15
THE BIG ISSUE

The BIZ ISSUE
Political organizations write platforms but the
voters make the issues in political campaigns.
Candidates for office may talk about the tariff,
farm relief world politics. enforcement OF law or any
other interesting topic, but they will probably dis
cover that when the people of Indiana go to the polls
in November they will cast their ballots largely on
the one question of honesty, sincerity and decency
in government.
The big issue is James Eli Watson.
His record as an official, his alliances his actions
in the politics of his own party. his methods of
maintaining himself in office more important than
his words.
The voters are looking fer the answer to his own
arrogant and rather egotstic challenge of why
Changer" and many of them are finding ample
reason.
Watson, for the first time in thirty years, is I'M
able to. hide behind President
He is unable to hide behind Coolidge because he
has walked out on the Coolidge policies and program
and is depending his defiance of Coolidge to win
votes.
Not even Watson has the audacity to ask the
people to vote for him order to uphold the hands
of Coolidge" after he has fought the Coolidge farm
relief policies and voted under eleventhhour pressure
from his political pals against the World Court.
So the people, for the first time in his career,
are looking at Watson himself and at his record.
They have the evidence of what he did in the
two years he failed to hold Office.
They discover him in those two years acting as
lobbyist for some very selfish interests in such
manner that his congressional associates after
an inquiry into an Ubiquitous lobby, branded his &C
lions improper.
In the other years they look IN vain for any
law that bears his name any great cause he cham
pioned. any crusade he waged in behalf of the COM
mon good.
They do find him voting for Newberry and de-
claring even yet that he proud to vote for what
the Senate said was an improper use of money in
elections.
They find him today making no protest against
the use of insult money in Illinois and the expendi-
ture of millions in Pennsylvania.
They have no doubt as to where he stands in an
hour when challenge has been given to honesty in
politics by privilege seekers and those who would
control government in their own behalf
They discover that, by his admissions, his
report under the corrupt practices act Of the State
does not cover the money spent in his behalf
They find him depending on poison squads" to
sway the women voters of the State, driven to the
necessity of organizing year in advance and Gre
ating machine said to have 100000 workers to OBJ
tain less than three times that many votes in the
primaries.
They discover him boasting that he is the friend
of the dry forces that he appealed for mercy for
a most noted vioator of the laws
They look at the whom he put into office
and discover that in this State they were unable to
guard liquor seized by the Government under circum
stances which led mischief sponsor the indianapolis
News to declare that three Negroes, given few
months in Jail for stealing $4,000 woSh, were not
alone guilty but that there are higher ups
If there be higher ups" in the Squibbs whisky
case as charged by Watsons defender, they belong
to Watson He named every Federal official in the
State.
They remember that in the primary election
10000 Republicans voted In protest against Watson
and wisconsin
They remember, many Of them do, what Wat
son did when New and Beverage and others were
his party candidates, and how little claim he
put to loyalty party when his selfish interests
were at stake.
They are looking at the alliances he made in
this election the secret meetings with heads of
secret organizations, his bargains with bosses, his
dependence upon the worst, not the BEST in gov
eminent
This is the big issue.
The great national problem Of honest politics is
localized and personifed.
Will wisconsin and all that it implies, be in
dorsed by the voters of Indiana?