The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-07-27
Now for the Clean UP

;rcnedes bv one day full, clear and complete
clean ~ of the charges which have oeen niaue
and circulated for the past eight months
The neople are entitled to all the facts'
THEW are entitled to know what happened 10
their government and to their elections lhey
ara entitled To have the name of the State re-
deened if it has been maliciously besmlrcneo
or thew are entitled to know who besmlrcneo
the State if the charges are true.
The matter has gone beyond any quooles
or technicalities. 1t is now out IN the open' OF
should be. and any effort TO suppress any 1ac''
mn matter whether it be evidence OF crime OF
merely Of political duplicity, must cease
The indianapolis News, basing It's editorial
upon a copyrighted article in The llmes' mas
demanded that Governor Jackson resign or
take steps to prove his innocence
The Times printed the statement that ho
Jackson. then secretary of State, left con-
ference in his office with George V. Colin and
offered to Warren T. McCray, then Governor
and facing criminal charges, $1,000 Tor at
torney fees and pledge that no jury would
convict in return for the naming OF prosecut-
mo attorney of Collins selection.
That is charge that any one could under
stand. It was made by The Times without
qualification and with full sense OF It's
gravity.
Coffin is reported to have denied the charge.
The Governor, in an interview given at Mack
mac Island. says that he wishes to examine
more closely the charges before he makes any
statement.
The Times placed the story before Governor
Jackson before it was printed, told him It's
nature in detail, sent one of its statfmen to IND
MIN in order that he might make statement
and secured only the answer that ne mad
nothing to say
The matter is one which is easily settled
and must be settled.
The special prosecutors have black boxes
which were sought for months.
Il is announced that they have a large
amount of correspondence which is interesting.
They are very rightly intent upon discover
ing whether those documents and the cor
respondence will constitute evidence OF crime.
But they should remember that this is.
matter which has gone beyond the realm OF
grand iuries and Of secret inquiries
They are bound to take into consideration
the law of limitations, under which crimes be-
come impossible Of prosecution after certain
period. G
AS prosecutors they would lose confidence
if they brought charges which upon their face
were untenable under the law.
But the people have a right to know the
facts. whether they be outlawed or not
There have been too many statements to
the effect that no evidence on the part OF State
officials has been discovered
It must be remembered that it remained
for The Times to produce that $1,000 check
given by Stephenson to Ed jackson, a check
whose existence was matter Of doubt,
check concerning which The Times was able to
give only proof of its being photographed.
Now it is discovered that all the time the
Governor could have made the way easy by
giving the simple explanation that he had re-
ceived that check for horse. But he was
silent when evidence was being obtained as to
it's existence.
What is contained in those other docu-
ments9 What does the correspondence OF
Stephenson show? What are the contents Of
letters sent to him by men in high places when
he was riding high and handsome as the
dictator of the State?
What was he writing to them? What re-
quests was he making and how were his re-
quests met?
The secrets of the ''black box'' belong to
the people and must be given to the people in
their entirety.
The people have but the single purpose of
getting to the very bottom of all the facts.
They have right to know what those to
whom they gave their votes were doing
secretly.
They have right to know what bargains
they were making with the former Dragon
The citizens can be depended upon to find
the answer. But they must have all the facts.
The lid must come off and come off on every
thing