The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-12-20
The Vacant Chairs


Probably the first order of business when
the Republican members of Congress from In
diana met to counsel and advise with Senator
James Eli Watson was the adoption of t'There
will be two vacant chairs, )" as the hymn or
dirge or whatever music was appropriate for
the occasion.
The meeting was held at Washington Mon
day and the reports that come from the ma
tional capital show that two members, prom
inent and noted in the past, were absent.
Neither Updike, who goes from Indianap-
olissto represent the people in the law-making
present.
This may have been caution or it may have
been cowatdice.
1t is somewhat significant that these two
members have been named recently as having
signed contracts with one D. G. Stephenson in
order to obtain their first elections to that
body.
just why this fact should bar them from the
cleanup" conference is difficult to explain
unless it De that they violated that greatest
of all political commandments, "Thou shall not
get caught
1t would be interesting to know just where
the line Is drawn in these matters, indeed it is
important to know, for this conference will
send word to the voters in Indiana as to what
must be done to save the elephant from smoth-
ering to death in shame.
Are these two members exiled because they
obtained office through Stephenson and gave
him the right to name their appointees.
If that should be the test, how manv of
the others would have been present?
Indeed, it is somewhat of question as to
how long Senator Watson would have remained
in the conference if all who had dealings of
sort with Stephenson or with the Khan were
barred from participation in these plans for
restoring the Republican party to public con-
fdence
Ii the reason for excluding Updike and
Rowbottom was that they signed contracts
with the former dragon, the voters may ask
what difference it really makes whether they
put their names on the dotted line or merely
went ahead under verbal understanding that
favors would be met with favors.
Was what is charged against Updike and
Rowbottom either worse or materially differ
ent than what others did to obtain Office
when Stephenson was ''the law'' and was
courted and fawned upon by those who want
ed Officer
1t is very generally conceded that the Re-
publican party must have "new deal' in this
State.
The independent voters are as much inter-
ested as those who regularly vote that ticket.
They want choice between two good tickets
rather than the poor alternate of turning per-
haps to weakness as against worse than weak
ness.
The drafting of some prominent and re-
spectacle citizen to head the ticket will not al
together meet the situation.
There must be really new deal by men who
hate the forces of bigotry and intolerance and
corruption which have ruled that party and
brought it into disrepute.
The people will expect to see it turned over
to Republicans who have the courage to de-
nounce these forces.
When Ford dec led that the people demand
ed something besides the traditional ''Lizzie,''
he did not merely toss out couple of squeaks
He got something that looked different and
was different.
1t remains to be seen whether discarding
two cogs and putting on a new coat of paint
will so disguise the Watson machine that the