Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 September 1910 — VETERANS TOSSED ASIDE BY G. O. P. [ARTICLE]

VETERANS TOSSED ASIDE BY G. O. P.

Told Plainly in Affront to Isaiah P. Watts. That They Are No Longer Needed. CANDIDATE IS HUMILIATED Is Refused Republican Nomination That No One Else Desired*-Old Soldiers Are Incensed. (Staff Correspondence.) Indianapolis.—The nomination of Rollin Warner, a corporation lawyer of Muncie, for Congressman by the Republicans of the Eighth district, and the struggle between the Republicans and the insurgents over the resolutions adopted by the convention, have shed the great white light of truth in places hat have heretofore been kept a trifle dusky through denials and subterfuge. The most important development was the open acknowledgment of the Republican party that “no old soldiers need apply.” The convention not only turned down Isaiah P. Watts of Winchester, the candidate of the veterans of the district, but it humiliated him needlessly in the presence of his friends.

It is a matter of common knowledge that no one save Mr. Watts desired the nomination. The same heroism which marked his career as a soldier, led him to offer himself as a willing sacrifice to his duty as a good Republican; he was ready and willing to be the standard bearer of his party In the district in the face of certain defeat at the hands of John A. M. Adair. No one else relished the job. There was no other avowed candidate. Mr. Watts was encouraged until the very last minute. His friends and comrades were seated upon the stage that they might see honor done to one of their ranks. Then came the name of Warner and on the first roll-call W’atts went down In defeat. Game to the last, he was the man to move that the nomination be made unanimous, but in his speech accompanying the motion he made it clear that the old soldiers at last understand their true relation to the Republican party —and he sounded a significant warning. Mr. Watts said to the convention:

“I believe I see by the vote of this! convention so far. that it is not necessary for this convention to have the name of an old soldier on the ticket any longer. I have been with you, I have worked with yoa here, and my comrades are here to see me nominated, but they will never see it. Oh behalf of my comrades who sit here today I thank you for the taffy and for the talk we have had praising us for the glory that we have done. We have been a political asset In this country for many years, but we are too old to hold office. We are too old for the people to put us in responsible places. I entered into this fight because my comrades asked me to make the race, as having been a man who was outside the district for four years and was not in any way tangled up with the affairs that had made the district doubtful and given us a Democratic congressman. If you have not made a mistake you will carry the victory.” In this speech Mr. Watts served notice that the old soldiers understand the situation at last. The convention was also important because of the leading part played by Winfield T. Durbin of Anderson, former Governor of Indiana. Col. Durbin in a speech praised the old soldiers and then his county, Madison, cast one-half of its votes against Watts.