Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 28 March 1938 — Page 4

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This Amount Will Ry Given to YoU by the MACHINE BUSTERS for the Five Best Essays in Answer fo the Following Questions:

J Why Is Political-Machine Boss Rule a Dangerous | Menace to the Community?

| Anyone in Indianapolis, or Marion County, may submit his or her essay. The main thing is to-set forth YOUR

ers to the above question, in the form of an essay, to assist us in finding the best solution to the problem. of

ridding our community of political-boss rule. YOUR assistance in solving this problem will be greatly appreciated and

hig ly valued by the MACHINE BUSTERS.

upon us.

The MACHINE BUSTERS are offering these rewards because the issue of political-machine bossism AGAIN is

Once more, the PARTY BOSSES are tightening their strangleholds on our political and economic life. This, the

political dictators do by controlling primary elections through choosing their hand-picked candidates as members of the party’s slate, when in reality they are but the choices of the machine bosses, and not of the people. Then, in the general election ‘he people are forced to vote not for representatives of their own choosing but for CANDIDATES OF E BOSSES. These dictators resort to every trick, fair or foul, in order to nominate their candidates in the primary elections, knowing full well tHat the voters MUST. TAKE THEM IN THE GENERAL ELECTIONS.

The issue o” political-machine bossism is not new.

1927, when the citizens of Indianapolis voted, seven to on

“Coffinism’’ and “machine rule.”

The voters of Indianapolis believed they had defeated it in e, for the city manager plan, in order to throw out forever ; | !

But the hopes of the right-thinking people of our city soon were shattered. Their plans for a political-machine-free, economical and sound city government soon were dashed on the rocks when the ndiana Supreme Court ruled

the city manager law to be unconstitutional.

While the people mourned over the death of the city manager plan, the BOSSES rejoiced. They had prépared for just such an emergency. Party tickets were prepared by them with Reginald H. Sdllivan heading the Democratic slate, and Alfred M. Glossbrenner leading the Republican, “Boss” Coffin ticket. | :

{

Sullivan Muffed Opportunity

In the election, held after the city manager law was declared

invalid, Reginald XH. Sullivan, in a protest vote against: “Coffinism,”

the then-prevailing machine rule, was elected the mayor of Indian-

apolis. Although he, too, had been the bosses’ choice, he was chosen as the lesser of two evils. : :

Evidently ignoring the opportunity to become one of the greatest mayors this city ever had, Mr. Sullivan served through his term of office without putting into effect the theories of the city manager plan, despite the fact that the citizens of Indianapolis had voted for that ‘type of sovernment, seven to one. Instead, Mr. Sullivan

embarked upon a “do-nothing, sit-down, no-boat-rocking strike” for |

five long years in the mayor’s chair.

One of ex-M:yor Sullivan’s claims of accomplishment was the

~ appointment of Michael F. Morrissey as chief of police. He was

chosen over officers with more experience, and better qualified in ninety per cent of the police force and a majority of the citizens, it is estimated, are against the police chief's methods of operating the department. This is a typical example of what machine control will do to sound

government.

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down the people’s throats, in place of a candidate of their own choosing, is one of the oldest known political tricks. With the question of political-machine bossism again in the foreground, - the

- BOSSSES of Indianapolis’ Democratic “Tammany” machine re-

sorted to the “craft” hoax in ah attempt to fool the people once

I x The Marion County Democratic chairman, and “boss” of the political machine, William E. Clauer, port-of-entry beer-license holder, brewing company official, wholesale beer and liquor dealer, etc., and his right “bower,” Frank E. McKinney, another wholesale beer and liquor dealer, etc., seeing the people were rising against BOSSISM, frantically decided to use the “DRAFT-A-CANDIDATE”

Clauer Playing Old Coffin Game -

Just as “Cap” Coffin selected one candidate after another, only to discard them after they failed to meet his full requirements, Clauer also, under the cover of night, sent out his trial guinea pigs. Several candidates were of the opinion that they had the “GO” sign. But when they “did not take,” the political dictators became frantic, and the “draft-Sullivan” scheme was resorted to. Mr Sullivan, the BOSSES decided, never having been known as an aggressive, dynamic sort of person, would be e to handle and was THEIR MAN. So, all the machine rulers’ henchmen, the job holders, and ‘heirfriends, were called to the bosses’ colors and told to go out and get signatures fo the “draft-Sullivan” petition, but get the names regardless of what method was necessary to use. The BOSSES were intent upon drafting Mr. Sullivan despite the fact that when that gentleman left the mayoralty office he again now seeks, he declared, “This is the happiest day of my life.”

The “draft” method of selecting a “machine” choice to push

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Io order to get’asufficient number of names on the petitions, old men were sent out under the pretext that they would receive employment, jobholders with poorly-paid positions were told they. would receive better ones, and school nurses were instructed to take petitions on their rounds. Some of these “voluntary” workers told pitiful stories to the people in order to obtain their “quota” of names on the petitions, Some people were told that the signatures did not

mean anything, others were informed they could not sign for any

other candidate; still others were led to believe they had signed to vote for Mr. Sullivan, and still others were told that they could not vole for any other candidate. - An attache of the supposed-to-be nonpolitical Merit Board attempted to circulate the petitions among policemen, but met with little success. In some cases, persons signed as many as 40 different petitions for the “machine” mayoralty candidate. In other instances, professional solicitors were paid from one cent a name to $1.00 for completely-signed petitions. Names and addresses were taken from the city directory and poll books and affixed to many petitions.

Totals on Machine Petition Doubted A firm of certified accountants was’ called in after it was decided that sufficient number of signers had allegedly shown their intention of “drafting” Mr. Sullivan. These accountants then certified that 111,274 names were attached to the petitions, but they did not verify the genuineness of a single signature. The absurdity of the whole thing is plain when one realizes that in the last pri-

mary the combined vote for the mayoralty candidates of «ll parties totalléd only 86,709 votes, with seven Republican candidates receiving a total of 45,054, and four Democratic candidates receiving a

.- total of 41,655 votes. Would Boss Clauer and Sub-Boss McKinney

have the people believe that there are no more Independent Demo

blican, Independent voters or Democra Bs Publ I regular tS against

Another thing that directly impeaches the statement of the bosses that the people overwhelmingly are for Mr. Sullivan, the machine's candidate for the mayoralty nomination, is the fact that

a cross-section, secret straw vote taken in twenty-one wards of the |

city, showed Sheriff Otto Ray, who always h pposed political boss rule, to be a twp-to-one choice over ti Out of 7,633 ballots distributed, only 2,527 were marked in favor of Mr. Sullivan as

against 5,106 for Sheriff Ray. More than 80 per cent of those voting

signed their names and addresses to the ballots. The vote was taken

in a housesto-house convass.

Rejoicing over the gathering of an all ed 111,27 signa the “draft-Sullivan” petition, the two influential a nshaes is bosses posed for two pictures, both of which appeared. in local, dafly newspapers. One showed Boss Clauer and Boss McKinney counting the petitions. And then, to the azement of the people, Mr. Sullivan joined these two liquor dealers in a picture showing him accepting the petitions, and announcing that he would be the MACHINE'S candidate for the mayoralty. :

| honest candidates, who will not be thelr tools,

1 y 8 thoroughly condemn the ruthSSES, they have g feeling of sympathy for petty jobholders and others who are FORCED to do the bidding of the dictators in order to receive their quota of “daily

| less tactics of the MACHINE

10.

A Militant Organization of Civic-Minded Citizens With Purpose of “Busting the Political Machine Before It Busts

the Sole You” = :

: oo

How Can the People Rid Their Community of

~ Political-Machine Boss Rule?

Lock, Stock and Barrel With Bosses

Af the time Mr. Sullivan agreed to be the BOSSES’ man, he told the public, through the press, that he would not make an active campaign. As he made his announcement to the reporters, he was told by machine workers, “You don’t have to; we'll put you over.” He also was told that Democratic headquarters were his PERSONAL headquarters and that he would not have to open any of his own. This proves beyond a doubt that any candidates in the May primary, not bearing the stamp of approval of the BOSSES, are barred automatically from the headquarters of the dear, old Democratic

Having said numerous times, before and after his first election, that he did not want the office of mayor, although he took it when prevailed uport by the BOSSES, it is natural to believe that Mr. ' Sullivan again does not want that office. But, perhaps, the BOSSES have told Mr. Sullivan that he need not go through the entire term,

. that he could use his position as a “stepping stone” to some high

Federal position, as did former Mayor Kern. As mayor, Mr. Sullivan ‘can name any one as his city comptroller, and in the event the mayor leaves office, the city comptroller succeeds him as mayor. { Who could stop the mayor from appointing Boss Clauer, or Boss | McKinney, as his city comptroller? Then, in the event of a mayor.alty vacancy, one of the bosses, if Tie occupied the comptroller’s | chair; automatically would become mayor. = |

Probably, feeling that their plans in regards to the mayoralty are going to be successful, the machine's dictators are going still | further. They are selecting only ONE sak idate for each office, | upon whom they are placing their blessing, advising other prospec-

| tive candidates that it is futile to run, and that they could not be nominated, even if THEY COULD GET THE mE

VOTES.

i As a result, high-grade, esteemed and ‘competent judges now holding office, who refused to do the bidding. of the machine's poli- | tical pilots, are SLATED TO BE SLAUGHTERED. And high-grade | public-spirited citizens, who otherwise would seek public office, are | afraid to run, believing they would have no chance against the

machine. |

ha - _ . Unfortunates Caught in Gears { In order to control the primary election, the machine in the | past has told WPA workers that they had to vote the PARTY | BOSSES’ slate or that they would be en! off their projects. | People on relief were made to believe tha they would be lopped | off the rolls unless they did the machine bosses’ bidding. The | poor and the WPA workers, in some precincts, had their ballots marked for them and only were permitted to deposit them in the

ballot boxes. All sorts of political 2 ma are being resorted to

to beat those candidates opposed to the machine. At ward meetings, | held each week, ward and precinct committeemen, and women, are being told to permit no candidate to speak, at any meeting, against

| ‘the machine, or its choices for office. These instructions are being :

| given by Bosses Clauer and McKinney. y? Precinct Committeemen, who have the courage to rebel against the machine and 1 its methods, have been threatened with removal, and are told that | their privilege of appointing their primary election boards would be taken away from them. This indicates that the machine is _ preparing to GO THE LIMIT in the next primary, as it has in | the past, if the people, the officials and the newspapers permit it. | In order to get the stage set for THEIR BIG DAY, the primary

« election on May 3rd, the political-machine bosses have been able,

at will, to change ward and precinct boundaries. Unfavorable pre- | cincts have been decreased in size, while precincts favorable to | the bosses’ tricks and control, have been increased in size. The bosses are all set to beat down the ears the independent,

Although MACHINE BUS

bread” for their dependents and themselves. Regardless of what the BOSSES may say the issue in this campaign still is “THE MA-

| CHINE BUSTERS versus THE POLITICAL BOSSES.”

In presenting to you the tactics of the political-machine bosses, MACHINE BUSTERS, and those who dare oppose the rule-or-ruin policies of the dictators, will be accused of mud slinging. But this charge only be a smoke screen of these bosses to cloud, as in the past, the real issues of this campaign. Political henchmen

will tell you they are members of the Democratic “organization,”

when in reality they represent NO ONE BUT THE BOSSES.

Good Government Always Available If those desiring the good government Indianapolis is entitled to assist in organizing the unorganized, and the spotlight of pub-

'~ licity is thrown upon the workings of the bosses, their henchmen

‘and their political machines, MACHINE BUSTERS make the prediction that the political dictators’ mayoralty candidates, and their other hand-picked choices, pigbatly wil to cover, and may not

n e de

even file their candidacies before

| i » *

. If Sullivan should

withdraw from the race, who will be the next candidate behind the skirts of whom the bosses may hide? Perhaps, even Mike Morrissey ‘may take a vacation in the Southland, until after-the primary, |

Frank R. Kent, noted Washington political writer, in a recent issue of the “Reader’s Digest,” says that the primary election is the key to all political control, and that possession of such a key gives to an individual, or machine, a power such as no individual or machine ought to have in such a country as ours. . Therefore,

“primary elections are more important than general elections. It

is in primary elections that such vicious political machines as Tammany Hall in New York; the Vare Machine in Philadelphia; - the Kelly-Nash Machine in Chicago; the Prendergast Machine in Kansas City, and the Clauer and Coffin Machines in Indianapolis retain their grip on political life by smashing all opposition, bes cause of the “do-nothing” attitude of the people, forcing the voters or take tig MACHINE'S HAND-PICKED CANDIDATES IN THE

GENERAL ELECTIONS. °

What gan be done about it? Kent answers this question as follows: “I believe that there is enough intelligence in this country

if it can be concentrated and energized and unified in thought

on this subject, to provide the leadership for the great confuséd and strangely mingled mass of voters needed to restore health to politics. The people must learn that the primary election is more important than the general election if they desire the opportunity to vote for candidates of their own choosing and want to rid the nation of political machines.”

Puppet Show Due for Discard - : MACHINE BUSTERS have told you how political bosses oper

, ate their machine to select hand-picked candidates.. Now, they

will tell you what they will do to rid Indianapolis and Marion

‘County of the evils of political bossism. They are organized to

fight for good, clean government: MACHINE BUSTERS will have volunteer workers at every polling place. They will bring citizens, interested in good government, to the polls in their automobiles. MACHINE BUSTERS will act as volunteer watchers before and after the polls close to assure a clean, honest primary. They will urge you, your friends and your neighbors to register. MACHINE

~ BUSTERS will insist upon the right of every voter to MARK HIS

OR HER OWN ‘BALLOT. They will oppose the voting of persons, under instructions, countrary to law, unless those involved are physically disabled and can not vote without aid. They will insist that when ballots are counted the entire election board will do the counting, and not Republican members countihg just Republican votes, and Democratic members tallying only Democratic votes. countrary to law. They will demand that only those who have £, the legal right be permitted to attend the vote counting. They will plead with every one to absolutely refuse to accept the socalled “organization,” boss-controlled machine slate which will be handed voters on primary day by the political henchmen of the bosses. The MACHINE BUSTERS will appeal to high-grade, pub-

lic-spirited citizens to file as candidates for public office in the

primary in opposition to the hand-picked, “bosses’” machine candidates. MACHINE BUSTERS will demand that election officials

- and other law enforcement officers give the people a fair and clean primary, and they will prosecute to the limit those officials

who fail to do so.

Vote—Defeat “BOSSISM”

It is absolutely necessary that those who are opposed fo machine rule vote in the primary to defeat bossism.| A small turnout of voters on primary day is just what the party bosses want. MACHINE BUSTERS intend to arouse the interest of every honest yoter in the fi rthcoming primary =o will impress upon every one the necessity of voting to avoid being forced to accept HAND-PICKED, BOSS-CONTROLLED, MACHINE CANDIDATES in the fall general elections. .

Every one knows t the machine bosses control a thoroughly organized minority, with plenty of money and power to support them. On the other hand, every one will agree that the rganized majority, under the proper leadership, can be made an ORGANIZED MAJORITY. And an ORGANIZED MAJORITY, especially with sincerity of p e and the desire for good, clean, honest gOoVe ernment, can defeat easily the organized minority of the bosses. MACHINE BUSTERS intend to organize this majority of good, hon+ est citizens to give anapolis the finest government obtainable. MACHINE BUSTERS want every anti-machine, independent candidate BARRED FROM PARTY HEADQUARTERS because he or she does not bear the stamp of approval from the bosses to make MACHINE BUSTERS! HEADQUARTERS his or her headquarters. starting this campaign “TO BUST THE MACHINE BEFORE IT BUSTS YOU” with. a membership of more than’ 4,000 members. | By primary election day more than 30,000 militant MACHINE BUSTERS are expected to do all in their power to help the independent candidate so that in the end THE PEOPLE MAY CHOOSE PARTY'S CANDIDATES, instead of the political bosses doing the picking. ) ie

| Ee : : 4 : ii 5 ge ei . ir B : ; 4 wa . {7 : . : : wii the Machine Bosses Force Mr. Sullivan to File for Mayor? His Refusal to Be a Candidate Will Prove to The People That The ‘Charges Made by MACHINE BUSTERS Are True.

You have been told about the practices of the POLITICAL BOSSES in controlling primary elections in order to force upon you their HAND- | PICKED CANDIDATES IN THE GENERAL ELECTIONS. You also have been told by me moted political writer, Mr. Frank R. Kent of | . Washington, how machines CAN be beaten. We have sét forth the | methods which MACHINE BUSTERS intend to use in the fight against _ these political dictators. Tell the MACHINE BUSTERS what YOU know and think about the evils and rackets which result from machine-| EF boss rule, and how they can rid the community of political bossism, |

— Application for Membership

| THE MACHINE BUSTERS “BUST THE POLITICAL MACHINE BEFORE IT BUSTS YOU”

Believing in the principles of “THE MACHINE BUSTERS,” I, the undersigned, voluntarily do pledge my wholehearted support to the “MACHINE BUSTERS” to free Indianapolis, and Marion county, of BOSSISM and POLITICAL MACHINE RULE. : eo

Ye me Rutles of the Contest Are as Follows: | to the two following questions: (a) Why is POLITICAL-MACHINE BOSS RULE 2a dangerous menace to the community? = (b) How ean the people rid their community of POLITI- . CAL-MACHINE BOSS RULE? - hy L. tmarked by midnight April 15th. | 7 All essays must be written on one » side of the paper. 1 _ 8, Address all essays to “MACHINE BUSTERS'” ESSAY CONTEST, 127-129 East reet,

| 5 I 2. £n essays must be in or 5 prize shall be $500; second $250; third prize, $100; “ fourth prize, $100; fifth prize, $50.

dominated by the liquor and other interests. YOU, no doubt, have ideas | foe 4. Three prominent citizens of In-

of YOUR OWN on this subject. WE WANT THESE IDEAS. They will assist us in fighting ‘“machine rule” Place your ideas into i

Will you register at ONEEY coocensiniianss Bossi Will you see to it that your friends and feighbors are registered? ............ Will you volunteer to work between now and .primary day? “oressuthseriescons Will you volunteer to work at the polls on Primary @8Y? .........ceeeersens eres will ou volunteer to use your automobile? : Seisessasmstsnsssesnsspdine Will you volunteer to act as a WALCHEr? ........ccceceeiuaeeinesnnsencnnssonne Will vou yolunteer to" contribute financial ald? .....coseeeeceereorsonnerasones

’

form of an essay, 150 words or less, and send it to MACHINE BUST. ERS, 127-129 East Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana. For those desirous of joining the “MACHINE BUSTERS” the _ opplication blank to the left has been printed. Fill. out and mail, or the 0 bring directly to headquarters. oT Ee ae final. In the event of ties, awards | Teatness econdary. 2 ey will be duplicated. ~~ | 10, Any one, a resident of Indian-

. Name csecsnssecences : . |

5. The decision of the judges is

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