Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 264, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1912 — The Traitorous Star. [ARTICLE]

The Traitorous Star.

No paper ever published in Indiana has proven such a complete traitor to the convictions of its editor as The Indianapolis Star. And it always remains for traitors to became the meanest in their vile methods to discredit the party they have deserted. Last spring The Star advocated the nomination and election of President Taft, as a matter of honest desert and he was eulogized for his administration. Then the paper changed to Roosevelt as a matter of policy, saying he could be'more easily elected. Then the paper made a complete flop and went bull moosing. That its first expressions in favor of Taft were its honest convictions, there can be no doubt. That its later desertion oi Taft and adoption of the cause ol Roosevelt was inspired by some dishonest motive is also quite certain. Whether it was so much cold cash, so much promise of reward, the expectation of a better business or the belief that it was popularizing itself, probably only the editors and the box office managers know, but The Star has not let an opportunity slip to use its power of abuse and invective against the man whom it declared both able and worthy. It remained for The Star to undertake to claim that republican newspapers were responsible for the maniac’s attempt to assassinate Roosevelt. It remained" for The Star and Louie Ludlow, its staunch democratic correspondent* at Washington to try to make the death of Vice-President Sherman the means of exciting suspicion that the national committee would select in Ms place some well known traitor who would make It his special business to thwart the wishes of the people. In previous years The Star has always had the strong appearance of being on a strictly commercial basis with its editorial policy and it looks like a clear case against that paper this year. Its influence is evidently being paid for by some one. During the past week the mails have been flooded with The Star. It has been filled with politics in support of Roosevelt and Beveridge and against Taft and Durbin. The readers of that paper should not be influenced by it/ however, for it is quite certain that it is insincere in its political position, and we do not believe that the honest voters of the country will want to accept the recommendation of any newspapers wbose opinions are on a commercial footing.