Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 54, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 March 1916 — INDIANA FOR FIRST TIME HOLDS PRIMARY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

INDIANA FOR FIRST TIME HOLDS PRIMARY

Some Things About Some of the Candidates and Explanation of the Way to Vote for Your Selections.

JAMES E. WATSON

Rushville, Ind. Candidate for U. S. Senator before the Republican primary election.

Indiana’s first primary will held next Tuesday, March 7th, and for the first time in the history of the state all county and district officers will be named directly by the voters, while candidates for governor and United States Senator will be voted for directly and upon the result depends whether these candidates will be named to represent the parties in the offices they seek or whether the nomination will go over to be made at the state conventions. •

What Is a Primary? A primary is the substituted method of nominating candidates. It was made a law by the 1915 state legisla-j ture. It succeeds the delegate convention and its object is to encourage every person to go to the polls and express secretly their choice for all candidates for office. It waS enacted into law upon the claim that delegate conventions were manipulated by corrupt party machinery and that there was not a “square deal” for candidates. It is the basis or fundamental method and since it is formulated for the people it behooves the people to take full advantage of it.

Important to Republicans. This primary is especially important to republicans for based upon the showing will largely depend the success of the republican party at the polls in November. It is important for another reason. It will show that the industrious private citizen is alive to his duty of citizensnip. The Republican party’ has no contests in Jasper county so far as the remunerative offices are concerned. There are two or three contests for delegate to the state convention. The important contests are for United States senator and governor, wi£h importance also attaching to the selection of national and state representative candidates. There are three candidates for governor and three for United States senator and we believe they are all good men. However, no citizen should decline to vote simply because he is willing to rely upon the judgment of others to

make the choice, for hijjou. It was _tljjs_ shifting of the burden of responsibility that caused the criticism and the corruption of delegate conventions. We have seen well-advertised conventions attended by only a half dozen persons and then heard those who did not go complain about what happened. The primary plan is your plan, Mr. Voter, it is your privilege, your duty and your guarantee that the people will really name the candidateg. Go to the polls next Tuesday, call for the -ticket of your party and vote

for the men whom you favor for offfice. The Republican wishes to briefly discuss some of the candidates. Those for governor are: Warren T. McCray, of Kentland; James E. Goodrich, of Winchester: Quincy Myers, of Logansport.

Those for United States senator are: Harry S. New, of Indianapolis. Arthur R. Robinson, of Indianapolis. James E. Watson, of Rushville.

It is confidently believed that Jasper county will give 95 per cent of its vote for governor to Warren T. McCray. The reasons are obvious. He is our neighbor. He is a man of strictly clean and honorable life. He is a self-made and aggressive businessman and during years of residence in Newton county he has made a big success as farmer, banker, stockman, grain merchant, stone quarry operator and everything that he has been identified with. He is the head of the state agricultural sopresident of the state fair association and equal to bigger things. He is a man of the people and Jasper county was one of the first to give his unqualified endorsement. He is counting on this county for a big vote and he must not be disappointed.

Get the Vote Out. The thing that will nominate Warren T. McCray is to have every person vote. Don’t let anything keep you away from the polls. Your vote will count in the great aggregate from all over the state and it is important that Mr. McCray’s friends see to-it ‘that every voter gets out. There are two other candidates for governor, both excellent men.- One is James P. Goodrich, of Winchester, foiaaaer ; state. lican party and a man highly qualified. He is an organizer* and has made an ardent campaign. The other candidate has perhaps not had quite so much publicity during the campaign but he is none the less highly qualified. As an attorney

and jurist he has an honorable record and he is equipped in every respect for the dignified occupation of the governor’s office. It is a certain thing that the republican party will have an ideal candidate,for governor, for any one of the three has the ability to make a fine executive. We favor Mr. MoCray because he is the type of man that Indiana seems particularly to need now; a businessman from every viewpoint- and just the man needed for the work that is to be done in rehabilitating Indiana after republicans are again in charge.

For senator there are three candidates as above mentioned. The Republican .believes the nomination should go to James“ET Watson for several reasons. First, because he is equipped with experience and knowledge and has fixed opinions on all matters of legislation and the ability to discuss the isslies fearlessly with his people and to become a power in the United States senate the moment he enters it. We believe in Jim Watson because we know him and have determined after considerable investigation that he stands so squarely and fairly upon the foundation that supports the republican party that he is the man needed to give support to the man who will be the next president. Mr. Watson is being and has been falsely presented to many voters and this leads us to mention some of the improper methods taken by those who would keep him from this nomination.

The friends of Mr. New are saying that he can not get the progressive vote and can not be elected. That is being made the sole basis of Mr. New’s, campaign. It is unbecoming of Mr. New’ to say this for the im-

1 portant reason that Mr. New as national committeeman ’ from Indiana was a part of the Chicago convention that ruled against the Roosevelt delegation and was himself on the famous subcommittee that unseated those delegates. Mr. Watson was the parliamentary leader but the work of the convention was not done by the delegates but by the committees and Mr. New is supported by poor grace when he tries by any ruse to curry favor from progressives in this manner. The Republican has not said a word calculated to stir up animosities before the primary but James E. Watson is being maligned and the voters being misled by the statements being made by’Mr. New’s supporters. Voters can rest assured -that a ballpt for Jim Watson is a ballot to place in the senate the brainiest man in Indiana and with his brains are qualities of candor and excellence in citizenship that no one will ever feel regret for supporting. Mr. New is known mainly as the son of a-former publisher of the Indianapolis Journal. -He is at present the president of the Bedford Construction Co. He is a successful businessman.

Arthur R. Robinson is also a candidate for the senate. He was the senate floor leader for republicans at the 1915 session of the Indiana General Assembly. He is young, brilliant, straightforward, and has announced that he will support national prohibition if elected to the senate. For Representative. For representative in the national house from the tenth congressional district we wish to heartily endorse Will R. Wood, the present incumbent. He is serving his first term and already is taking a commanding position among the leaders. Mr. Wood

recently made a speech in favor of -national—aid- for highway tion, which shows him alive to the greatest needs of the state and nation. In thise speech he was challenged by a number of the •old-line members of the house but he disposed of them in a manner to produce laughter at their expense and to show that.he is qualified to the position of high trust to which we elected- him. He will do much for the tenth district and will be a leader in every way among the representatives from every state.

- For Joint-Representative. William L. Wood, of Parr, asks and should again receive the nomination of the republicans for joint representative. He has served one term, rep resenting White and Jasper counties. Since then the district has changed and is now composed of Jasper, Newton and Benton counties. He made a good record in the last- general assembly, not missing a roll call or a session day or night. He was a studious, working member and took an active part in law making. It takes a while to get on to the ropes in a legislative body and Mr. Wood not only got on to also became a leader in the house. He has continued his studies since the general assembly adjourned and has ideas that he hopes to have enacted into law or to influence law making at she 1917 session of the legislature. In all fairness to him he should be returned. He is just now in a position to do us more good than could possibly be expected of a new representative. Important alike to county and’town people is-the need of road legislation. Mr. Wood has studied laws in other sttaes and his accumulation of information will be valuable in the general assembly. H certainly should get the nomination at the hands of the people of his district. We recommend our people to vote for him.

How to Vote. When you go to your polling place next Tuesday you will tell the clerks your politics, republican, democrat or

progressive. You will be handed the ticket of your party and a Enter the booth and spread your ballot out. The first name on- the republicanticket will be that of CharlesWarren Fairbanks, preferential can-, didate for president. Then comes the names of candidates for U. S. Senator and then the candidates for governor and so on down, including all district and county ‘Offices and all candidates for delegates and for precinct committeemen. Each candidate is numbered. Following the name are two blank spaces for your first and second choices for each office. Make a cross Xri in the first space opposite your first choice for each office and make a cross X■ in the second space for each man you desire to vote for as second choice. Fold thd ballot and turn it , in. / r Don’t hurry, take your time. Don’t fail to vote. You Owe it as a duty of citizenship. - 7: -— Above all don’t fail to vote for Warren T. McCray.

JAMES E. WATSON