Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 289, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 December 1914 — Jim Watson Should Keep His Head Beneath the Covers. [ARTICLE]

Jim Watson Should Keep His Head Beneath the Covers.

We hear it Tumbled all over that James E. Watson is going to come out* for United States senator when the next election rolls around. James and - his (friends are very much mistaken if they think the success of the republican party can in any sense be turned into an endorsement of Watson or Hemen way or any of the old leaders. The party owes nothing to these men. They are associated with the unhappy plight in which the party found itself two years ago and The Republican is opposed unalterably to putting itself in a position where it will have to make apology for the men who are to be its standard bearers.

Some will ask* “Why, what’s the matter with Jim Watson?" Well, he was a pronounced reactionary. His name was connected with a land graft in the west. He was a machine politician. He slipped backward at each election in his home district and he lost out absolutely as the candidate for governor, not riding very consistently on the platform and he has never stood for any important reform. He would bring us face to face with the very things that caused the rift in the party and it is a burden we should not' be called upon to bear and we don’t believe the people will bear it either. There are too many good, aggressive, forward looking men in Indiana for the rejuvenated republicaft party to permit any office seeker like Watson to mar the prospect for a sweeping victory. The republican party must be progressive. It can not be with reactionaries in control. It would be the worst insult to the party it has ever had to name as its standard bearer a man who would be unable to command the respect of all the voters. Jim Watson can’t do it and neither can Jim Hemenway. No handicaps should be hung to the party in the next campaign.