Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 February 1911 — Indianapolis Councilmen Quarrel Like Little Kids. [ARTICLE]

Indianapolis Councilmen Quarrel Like Little Kids.

Next to the democratic state legislature about the biggest- joke in Indiana is the Indianapolis city council. One of the members of that legislative body is Charles F. Copeland, a traveling salesman who makes Rensselaer with'** line of dry goods and notion*. Copeland’s councilmanic life seems filled with troubles and he has been a central figure ever since he was elected to office. He is small as stature, but. large of voice and sometimes talks when he don’t seem to have much to say. George L. Denny is a member of the board of councilmen. He is a young lawyer and seems to represent the interests of the common people against the corporations and other threatening monsters. Copeland don't like Denny and Denny don’t give a gosh dura. And there is a big lot of “you can’t slide down my cellar door” business going on about all the time. Monday night was the regular meeting time for the councilmen and that always means a clash of wit between these councilmen. Frequently they use the language of half-angry children and say “you’re another” and “I told you bo” and “I’m going to tell my mother” and a lot of talk that would make the trustees of Skedunk ashamed of themselves. Monday night was no exception. There was a measure before the council that is aimed to break up the street mashing game and punish the guilty fellows who hang around street corners and ogle all the women that go by. Denny was championing the bill and Copeland, who, as we have said before, is a traveling man and only gets home once a week and then spends the evening at the council chamber, was ferninst the measure. Denny reminded Copeland that he was a traveling man and suggested that a provision against “mashing” would hardly pass at a convention of knights of the grip, This riled Copeland to great anger. He did not undertake a defense of traveling men as a whole, but claimed the attack was personal and that his gentle spirit had been wounded by a suggestion that he Would be guilty of such atrocious conduct. He said his family had been insulted and announced that he was ready to fight. To which Councilman Denny replied by calling Copeland a little squirt and saying that he could split his face. All the newspapermen were present and the elevating dialogue is published in full, much to the degradation of Indianapolis. Mr. Copeland’s friends here will not wonder that he was angered at the suggestion that he might be guilty of “flirtingfor he is so modest in the presence of a woman that every one wonders how he ever got up courage to propose to his wife. The Indianapolis. council certainly needs a cleaning up and one less Copeland might materially improve that body.