The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-02-15
TOWNSEND PLAN
GIVING ORECON'S
c. 0. P. WILLIES'
0ARP Clubs Are Powerful
in State Politics, Stokes
Learns.
BY THOMAS L. STOKES
Times Special Writer


the aged and INDECENT with hope
and gives established political lead
ers the willies.
The virus injected by the Cali
fornia physician has been so effec-
tive in this neighboring state
$4,000 Townsend Club members are
enrolled in this city alone-that nc
one calculates politics without it.
Only one thing appears certain in
Oregon, as far as anything in pol
itics ever is certain. and that is that
President Roosevelt will carry the
state in November-provided there
is no Townsend national third party
to pull away the voters.
There is much talk here of such
party.
Chief interest here is what effect
the Townsend Plan will have on the
political future of Senator Charles
r. McNary, Republican leader, who
is up for reelection.
aIcNary Is Institution
Except for the Townsend Plan,
no one would worry minute about
Senator McNary. for he is an insti-
tuition here, with Democratic as
well as Republican support, just as
Senator William Bordah is in Idaho
and Senator Herman Johnson in
California.
But the Townsend octopus has
begun to send out its tentacles to-
ward the political machinery Of the
state, clutching a local leader here
and a self-appointed leader there
AS q result, you find timid politi-
clans scurrying to cover The sena-
torial and congressional races will
have their Townsend-bleSs can
didates.
Noisiest just now is Willis F.
Mahoney, a carpet-bagger from adj
joining Washington who came down
TO klamath Falls, jumped into pol
itics and was elected Mayor after
living there only one year. He is a
pushing sort of fellow who is clever
at picking issues and going places
with them.
Defeated for Governor
1t is he who would have Senator
McNarys scalp.
A Democrat, he ran unsuccessful
ly for the gubernatorial nomination
against the present Governor, Gen
Charles H. Martin, the ex-Army
officer who served in Congress.
Mayor Mahoney publicly accepted
the "call' to run against Senator
McNary on the Townsend Plar
platform at the Jackson Day Din
ner here.
When he was included among the
speakers on that occasion, wore
went around that he was going tc
talk about the Townsend Plan. He
was warned not to, and apparent
ly this was the understanding. But
the inspiration of the occasion-ol
Old Hickory or something-got the
grafton about the month
pension scheme.
He Accepts Nomination
Warren Irwin, state legislator
who runs a piano store, sat- righ
behind the Mayor. When the speak.
er concluded, the legislator jumped
to his feet before the Mayor coulC
sit down and, raising his arms aloft
he shouted:
Il hear a voice in the wilderness
i nominate Willis E. Mahoney fol
the United States Senate now"
Well" said the Mayor, I'll ac
sept the call"
He'd run, he said, on the Town
send Plan. And if the Democrat,
wouldn't adopt it, he'd campaign O.
his own on the issue. On a prev
lous occasion he'd taken the Demo
Gratis to task for not trying to bea
Senator McNary. He urged them Il
bury their complex about the Sena.
tors invulnerability.
Backers Hope for Break
McNary champions are hoping foI
the breaks that time sometime
gives-either that the Townsend
plan will have died down by No
vember; that his own advocacy O.
higher pensions for the aged thar
now provided by the AdminiStra
ton plan may keep the voters il
line, or that present squabble
among the Townsend leadership il
the state may destroy the move
ment.
And they are squabbling now.
One internal row broke into tn,
open a few days ago when c. E
Hansen, former hot-dog stand OPP
orator, who is ostensibly head of tn
Townsend clubs in this state, SuS
pended the angel" of the move
ment here, one Jack M Barde, anC
revoked his license to speak as
representative of the Townsenc
clubs.
Referendum Shows Strength
Mr.. Barde. son of a junk dealer
who has expanded his fathers bust
ness and now calls it a steel com
pany, recently went out and formed
his own organization by getting
charter for TownSendites, Inc. Thi
jab at Mr.. Hansen led to the re
taliation and suspension.
How strong the Townsend club
are was shown in a recent refer
endum on several issues.
The Townsend clubs went OF
record against proposed sales ia,
to finance the state social Securit,
program, and their influence, alonI
with that of organized labor and tn,
State Grange, was held responsible
for its overwhelming defeat. The.
would stand for no plan to financt
a social security program that wa
not theirs, and, furthermore, sale
tax now would initiate against thei
proposal for pyramided transac.
tons tax to finance their owl
scheme.