Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 89, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1910 — A GREAT POLITICAL INDCSTRY. [ARTICLE]

A GREAT POLITICAL INDCSTRY.

“As a general thing,” says the Indianapolis Star (Rep.) “it would not be unjust, we think, to say that the Democratic press of Indiana will be found supporting the Democratic legislative nominees.” It would not be unjust; quite the contrary. According to the Chicago Tribune, thirty-three Republican editors in Indiana favor Cannon as the next speaker of the house and fifty-seven indorse the Can-non-Aldrich-Payne tariff law. This information will not shock James E. Watson, James A. Hemenway, ex-Governor Durbin and other members of the “old crowd” who have made no effort to reserve seats on the Beveridge band wagon. There were two Republican meetings last week of some size and significance, one of tire Republican editors and the other of the Lincoln League. There were banquets and speeches and many questions were discussed, but while the editors and leaguers “indorsed” the last state and national platforms of their party, they had not a word to say for the county option law which they made a chief campaign asset two years ago. Doubtless this means nothing more than that that matter has been turned over to their allies, the Anti-Saloon League, to be handled in the “non-partisan” way for which Mr. Hanley’s organization is noted. At the meeting of the Republican State Editorial Association last week Editor Brown of the Frankfort News told his fellyw toilers that the Republicans “must stand or fall” by the Fayne-Aldrich tariff law. And then he preceded to pour ice water down the necks of his brethern by declaring that “we are in a delicate position so far as our party is concerned.” In the general verbal mix-up that followed his speech—which was distinctly embarrassing—*Mr. ’Brown supplemented his other statements by saving with heat that “there are a lot of cowards in the state of. Indiana who are afraid to speak on this (the tariff) question." Only the speedy adjournment of the session prevented further injurious debate, but enough had been said to leave a bad taste in the mouths of those present, which, of course, was exceedingly sad.

One of the main industries of leading Republican newspapers these days is that of conducting voting contests to find out how wide apart various Republican elements are and how unpopular different Republican leaders and measures have become. One 01 the largest of these undertakings has just been brought to a sm cessful close by the Chicago Tribune, the leading Republican newspaper in the middle west. Several thousand votes weie cast by Republican editors in many states were received and canvassed and the results duly announced. More kinds of trouble are shown than one cares to shake a stick at. Knocks are administered to most everybody and everything conspicuous in Republican affairs. Irritants and counter-irritants are found in profusion. In Indiana thirtv-three Reptib l lican editors stand up boldy for Cannon while all the others vote just as boldly against him. Fif-ty-seven of them indorse the Aldrich-Cannon tariff law, while the rest of the bunch are against —largely, it is suspected, out of deference to that consistency which support of Mr. Beveridge’s insurgency requires. Other voting contests are being arranged by ambitious publications, and in due time every Republican of influence will Jiave

been heard from and the work of listing and cataloging the different varieties of grudges, greivances and grouches entertained by them toward each other will be finished and ready for inspeption.