The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-14
NATIONS HOPE
DECLARED IN
MIDDLE WEST
Claude G. Bowers Asserts
Democracy'S Fate Rests
in This Generation.
LAUDS STATE PIONEERS
Their Descendants Should
Not Become CogS in Ma
chinerY of Government.

Democracy in America is in grave
peril, its preservation depending on
middle west residents. Claude G.
Bowers, New York City, historian
and journalist, declared at the So
ciety of Indiana Pioneers annual
dinner Saturday night at the Clay
pool
The dinner, closing feature of the
two-day Indiana history conference,
was attended by nearly 500 members
and guests. William H. Insley,
president of the society, presided,
Battle for preservation Of democ-
racy in America will be fought out
in the lifetime of the present gen.
eration," Bowers said.
You and I must choose under
which flag we will serve. There
may be sections OF the country
where the people are tinctured with
the vicious ismS that have f1oated
in upon us like debris from across
the sea-but not in the valley of
democracy.
In these days OF confusion and
chaos, when SO many Americans are
wandering into strange pastures
and after false gods, the hope Of
AmericaniSm, which means democ.
racy, is here in the middle west.
Urges Individualism
Our Indiana pioneers were chill
dren OF democracy. 1t were BIAS
phemy to permit their progeny to
become mere cogs in the machinery
of state. The highest tribute we can
pay them is to remain Steadfast
for that individualism and de-
mocracy they planted in the wilder
ness, to remain true to their ideals
of freedom, to hold fast to the
liberties and hunanitieS that from
the beginning they have made the
peculiar glory Of this great commons
wealth."
Bowers decried the tendency to
permit memory of famous Indiana
pioneers to die.
We have become so rich in great
men in Indiana that we dissipate
their memories as though they we're
the leaves of autumn and we were
the owners of the Rocky
Mountains" he said
For generations American his
tory was lopsidedly interpreted and
colored by New England to the
detrlment of the middle wess and
south. stupidity enough, we per-
mltted our Yankee friencs to inter-
pref America as a mere expansion
of New England.
"This was due in part to the
taclt concession that no one living
outside of Massachusetts or Connec-
tlcut was competent to tell the story
of the past.
And the New England interiors;
tatlon of history has always been
prejudicial to the country west of
the Hudson. In the beginning there
was a bitter prejudice against the
western because the induStriaIists
OF New England resented the drain
Ing OF their labor market by western
farms. 1t was better to have a sur
plus labor than a shortage, since
that kept wages down.
New England Dominant
For generations children in their
school histories have read pages on
some minor engagement of the
revolution in some New England
hamlet and only few lines on the
epochal victory at Vincennes. The. :
early historians could not penetrat
beyond the Alleghanies.
And that is the reason genera.
ton after generation of children
have grown to manhood in utter
ignorance Of the fact that some OF
the most bitter fighting of the revo-
luton was in the middle west.
Two months ago we celebrated
the victory at Yorktown, but the
victory at Yorktown, without the
previous victory at Vincennes would
have left the vast empire reaching
to the Mississippi in possession of
the English"
lnsley was reelected president.
Other officers named were Alnus G.
Ruddell, president; Mrs. WAL
ter Montgomery, secretary; Miss
Katharine M. Graydon, registrar.
and Herbert Foltz, treasurer, all of
Indianapolis.
Board of governors members
elected were Mrs. E. M. BLESSING,
Danville; Lee Burns, Arthur Carr
Amos w. Butler, J. Raymond Lynn,
Charles N. Thompson and Miller
Hamilton, all of indianapolis; Cur
It's G. Shake, Vincennes; Elmer
Scott, Madison; Harry Stops,
Brookyille.