The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-11-07
FIXING POLICY
NEXT TASK OF
VICTOR PARTY
Democrats in Legislature
Can Work With or Fight
Administration.
1882 VOTE CONSIDERED
Course Determined Will Be
What Politicians Deem
Best for Holding Power.
BY BEN STERN

BY BEN STERN
Capture of a majority of state
offices and seventy-six of the 100
seats in the Indiana house of rep
resentatives by the Democrats al
ready Is causing party leaders to
ponder over the perplexing question
OF policy.
Two alternatives face the Demo-
cratic party.
Should it begin program OF
opposition to all Republican meas
ures and embarrass Governor Harry
G. Leslie or shall the party settle
down to a policy Of cooperation
with the administration on queS-
s tons not pledged in the platform?
If the Democrats had control of
the senate, an outline of policy
would be much easier to formulate
and follow, but, with the holdover
senators, the G. o. P. will have
twenty-nine members and the
Democrats twenty-one.
Every act of each party will be
made with an eye cooked toward
the 1882 election.
If the Democratic policy is one
purely of obstruction, its opponents
will probably attempt to use as an
issue the thought that nothing con-
structive has been accomplished by
the former.
On the other hand, the Democrats
need merely to follow their platform
pledges. which are entirely con-
structive.
Old Age Pension Pledge
This platform calls for the enact
ment of an old age pension law,
establishment of an income tax,
reformation of the injustices and
inequalities in the state aid for
schools. voter registration, and re-
duction of taxes.
1t is a certainty that the pledge:
ITO extend and improve the state
highway system" and efficiently
administer this department" will be
carefully adhered to and a full in
vestigation of the expenditures and
alleged extravaganceS of this de-
partment will be asked.
There is a possibility that an at
tempt will be made to change the
setup of the commission and some
more efficient and modern method
proposed.
Congressional reapportionment will
of course be one of the most i'm
portant measures before the legis-
lature.
The Democratic house will at
tempt to frame bill which will out
line the districts in a manner favor
able to them while the Republican
senate will quite naturally strive to
serve the best interests of its party.
Leslie will probably, as he has al
ready said. refuse to approve a re-
apportionment measure which will
be Democratic.
With such a condition existing
but two things can result. One will
be the passage of a bill which will
give both parties an even break and
the other Stalemate with the 1887
representatives in congress being
elected Eat large"
Both parties will probably seek tc
avoid thiS-the Democrats, because
If they lose in 1892 as a result OF
the national election, will not only
fail to obtain congressional repre-
sentatives, but may not again be in
control of the house of represent
atives and so lose all advantages.
The Republicans, feeling that Hoo
ver's record will not help the party,
may also foresee a Democratic land
slide In the presidential election and
be Ioath to let both a Democratic
house and senate arrange the
boundaries.
Chance for Disruption
The G. o. P. leaders would en-
Joy seeing the Democrats involved
in a Speakership fight which might
split that partys solidarity in the
house and create disSension which
will be reflected two years hence.
It is extremely probable that the
contest may narrow down to two
men, Walter Myers, candidate for
mayor of Indianapolis in 1925 and
contender for the nomination for
United States senator in 1928, and
Earl Crawford of Milton, former
member of the highway commission
and a candidate for the nominal
ton for Governor in 1928.
There can be little question that
the Marion county delegation will
support Myers, and his work as q
party orator over the state during
the campaign attracted attention in
other sections.
Crawford may be willing to become
his party's floor leader. which would
give him ample opportunity to dis
play his leadership ability.
Some such plan may be evolved.
A feature of the results of the
election which is attracting atten-
ton is that five of the Democratic
representatives elected we're not
slated by the Anti-Saloor league.
This is causing many political
students to feel that the power of
the dry OrgdI1DdAOu III lAlAS SIdtS IL
on the wane.
Those five whose triumph is a
subject for consideration are: John
Boehne, Jr.. First district; Eugene
B. Grove, Third; Cortland Gillen,
Fifth district; Glenn GriSwold,
Eleventh. and Samuel Pettengill,
Thirteenth.
The latter obtained the nominal
ton as an ''avowed wet"
$4,000 Paid for Tomatoes