Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 91, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 March 1911 — WHY ABE VOTED WITH BREWER FLEMING. [ARTICLE]

WHY ABE VOTED WITH BREWER FLEMING.

The Republican, in a laboured article of nearly two columns in length, attempts to justify Mr. Halleck’s action in voting AGAINST the Proctor liquor regulation bill and WITH Steve Fleming, the millioniare Ft. Wayne brewer. The subject is a difficult one to handle in view’ of Abe’s professed pro-temperance view's, and the slurs he has cast at the democratic legislature as being “owned by- the brew r ers.” Fleming is the only brewer in the legislature, and for Abe to vote w’ith him against high license and against the limitation of saloons to one for each 1,000 popnlaton and the strict regulation of the liquor traffic, has put him in an embarrassing position with one class of people whom he was loud in catering to along about election time, when, with a majority of 2,500 in his favor, he managed to squeeze in with a measly 100 votes more than his opponent. The reasons given for Abe’s voting, with Steve Fleming and against this high license liquor regulation bill are as weak as its defense of bridge graft. Fleming, a democrat, opposed the bill of Proctor, also a democrat, it says, and as Abe had to either vote for a democratic measure or with Steve Fleming, the democratic btewer who opposed it, he chose the latter. This is the gist of its two column defense of Mr. Halleck’s opposition to the measure, and it reminds us of a story told us by a prominent republican of Jasper county, of Abe in the last previous session of the legislature. This man’s son had business in Indianapolis and went over to the state ltd use to look in upon the legislature. He met Abe and in conversation with him said: “This is the first time I was ever on the floor of the legislature and I would like a little light On how you do business here—a few pointers, if you please?” “Well,” said Abe, “you see that bald-headed man sitting down there to the right? Now he is a democrat and votes before I do. I watch how he votes and

then vote exactly the opposite.” “To h— with such a legislator,” said our informant, “why that democrat might be right a part of the time.” |And this was why Abe v&ted against a meritorious . measure; ■ the best and only liquor regula- ■ tion bill in the legislature, and the strictest in its provisions of any law ever proposed in the state, a proposed law that was endorsed by nine-tenths of the anti-saloon people of Indiana.