Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 October 1908 — SLANDERING TRAVELING MEN. [ARTICLE]

SLANDERING TRAVELING MEN.

A large proportion of the traveling ' men who represent houses doing business in Indiana are supporting Bryan and Kern and Marshall. There are many Republicans among them. They are opposed to Taft and* Sherman and Watson and doubtless they make their opposition known wherever they go. No class of men are better informed on public questions, especially those ; which affect their interest!. The Re- ! publican organization is trying to ! break down the Influence of these men. James E. 'Watson’s home organ, the i Rushville Republican, is particularly slanderous and vicious. On Sept. 17th ! that paper published an article which the Republican organization is distributing. From this article we take the following: "For several weeks traveling men have been going up and down the state crying down Watson at every opportunity. The only unfavorable reports heard this fall could be traced to the traveling men. • ♦ • • y "It has now developed that the socalled traveling men are fakes, pure and simple, nothing more than hirelings of the brewers, who are behind the Democratic state committee in the present campaign. And some of them are the worst type of Individuals, such as crooks, bartenders, hangers-on, exconvicts and the like. * * Most of their pictures can be found in the rogue’s gallery in Indianapolis and other cities. * * Think of men of this type going about the state spreading malicious reports about a man as- , piling for the great office of governor!" These extracts from the article are sufficient to show Its purpose, which is to cast discredit upon every traveling salesman who dares tp express opposition to the Republican party and Its candidates. It is a disreputable piece of business, but it will not close the mouth pf any honest man. The publication and circulation of the story has been denounced by traveling men's clubs as a peculiarly vicious and senseless slander. ' - "Funny Jim" Sherman and Longworth, Roosevelt’s son-in-law, pretend to be desperately afraid that something may happen to the gold standard. The Republicans have declared > in two campaigns that they had estab'llshed the gold standard "firmly,’’ but : Funny Jim and the equally funny Nick say that the whole thing can be overturned by “executive order.” This is ’ not true, but that fact doesn’t keep these two great statesmen from tell--1 ing it.

The legislature kicked Governed* bill Into the ashheap. but ho la going to "throw" himself into the campaign “for all he is worth,” It is announced. Two years ago he did the saml thing and the Re- ! publican party lost <50,000 votes. And now it will lose 60.000 more.