The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-09-03
The Rotten Borough


No one should be surprised at the condi-
tons which are being revealed in northern
Indiana.
There have been hundreds of arrests for
various crimes and among those who are
charged with fostering vice, racketeering,
blackmail bootlegging and crime of various
sorts are the petty officials who might be
expected, if honest, to suppress this sort of
activities.
The reason for this condition does not
lie in difference of population. The people
who live there are the same as inhabit other
industrial cities. There may be few more
of foreign birth, but not many. There are
many churches The school system Of one
of the cities is the model for all progressive
! education.
The real reason is to be found in the fact
.at the politics of this state, the big politics,
Fed rotten borough which can be depended
dpon to furnish majorities, by fraud if nee
essary and by coercion if possible, in order to
maintain the machine.
In order to get crooked elections, it is
necessary to cater to crime and criminals
The greatest of all crimes is the tamperlng
with elections. That is treason. And to get
traitors it is necessary to bride them.
Of course the men and women VINO have
regularly turned in fraudulent election re-
turns and have padded the rolls with re-
peaters, wanted something in return.
That something was immunity in nefari-
Gus businesses of various kinds, immunity
from arrest participation in graft.
1t has been to the advantage of the big
politicians who wanted to control United
States senators, and through them the hon
est graft" of high tariffs or low schedules on
income taxes, to tolerate this sort of crime
The condition could not exist without the
knowledge of the leading citizens of that part
of the state, the big fellows who run things
and name the delegates to national conven-
tions and have a voice in the naming of pub
lie officials and who contribute the necessary
funds to elect their office boys as prose-
cutors. and sheriffs and members of the
state senate and lower house.
The people of the entire state have very
great interest in this matter because that
same rotten borough runs the state, and IN
no small way, the nation.
It was this rotten spot which turned the
tide in 1926, and very belatedly sent down
enough votes to elect Watson to the senate
after the rest of the state had repudiated
him and attempted to purge itself OF the
whole nasty mess that had reached its high
point in 1924.
It was this same rotten borough whose
vote swayed the last state election, vote
that was so outrageously high in proportion
to census returns as to be inevitably padded
and dishonest.
1t was the vote of bootleggers and black
mailers who are now under federal scrutiny
that sent down the men who controlled the
last legislature.
Ironically, the votes of this borough were
cast for the same candidates who were sup
ported most religiously by the good people OF
other sections.
Let it be hoped that the courts will get
those who have made this borough so rotten
that its stencil is no longer tolerable.
And then let it be hoped that the people
will be wise enough to get rid of the forces
which have thrived and fattened by the sup
port of this same rotten borough.
The League Grows