Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 May 1915 — WILSON-BRYAN LEAGUE HEAD [ARTICLE]

WILSON-BRYAN LEAGUE HEAD

Asks James K. Risk of Lafayette, to Become Candidate for Governor. Richard g. Kirby of Indianapolis, president of the Wilson-Bryan League of Indiana, has written an open letter to James K. Risk of Lafayette, urging Mr. Risk to become a candidate for the democratic nomination for governor. Mr. ,/Risk served as Tenth district chairman for two or three terms, and has always been an ardent Bryan man and an opponent of machine politics. The letter which was sent to Risk is as follows: Indianapolis, Ind., May 4, 1515. Hon. James K. Risk,

Lafayette, Ind. My Dear Mr. Risk—l am pleased to note that the papers are speaking seriously of you as a possible candidate for the democratic nomination for governor. Several of my friends have told me that they have interviewed you in regard to this matter Afind have hee’n unable to gain your - assurance tW yo,i would ASPbunce yourself as a candidate for this ofAnd at solicitation of these /friends, and from the fact that from time to time, recently influential democrats, who are interested in good government, have asked me to interest myself in getting you to become a candidate, I am writing this letter, to urge you to ehter the race. 1 feel that for numerous reasons you are the man that the democratic party needs at this time; I feel that you could be nominated and elected for the demand is insistent that our candidate for governor shall be one who has, not been, or is. not now. connected in any way with the bosses, and further, he must be one who stands fhr the principles represented by the progressive democracy of the Wilson-Bryan type. The record of your political life is a record of progressive principles —a stand for decent politics and an ; assurance that office ' conferred upon you will be a trust and a pledge of decent and efficient government. .The memory of the way you devoted your splendid talents and your time, at your own expense, during the recent session of our legislature, to the suppijrt of the Jones primary law, is still fresh in my mind. I remember that in spite of the ridicule of the newspapers controlled by the maclfine and the abuse of the socalled practical politicians, you stood true to this honest measure for the benefit of the people of this state. I know, also, that you stand for these vital things that mus* be written into bur democratic platform of 1516 if we hope to succeed, namely, a call for a constitutional convention and woman suffrage, because “you have repeatedly and publicly declared for these measure?. Since the democrats in our national congress have passed a trade Commission law, and we will have a tariff board, the tariff issue will be eliminated in our next campaign and the issues will be moral issues among which the chief! ones, as I have stated above, will be the constitutional convention and the plank favoring woman suffrage, and. as before stated, I believe that you are the man best fitted to represent the rank and file of democracy on these questions from the fact that you have been a student of them and an advocate of them for years. Also I belief© • that you are the man, because yoil have been fighting dishonest primaries, dishonest political methods and the political boss since I have known of you and it is time we did away- with the political boss. Let us vest a recognized leadership in the governor and in our United States senators; let them be real leaders who have, the confidence of the party and men to whom we can go for advice and counsel as to the best methods of serving the welfare of the people of this state and country, then the corrupt political machinist will be eliminated. In asking that you become a candidate, I realize the responsibility that will be placed upon you and realize the arduous campaign it will entail, but I feel that it would be a patriotic duty upon your part, to enter this race and, if elected, fulfill the demands of this high office., to the satisfaction of your conscience. Hoping that you will give the matter most earnest consideration, I remain as ever. Sincerely Yours,

RICHARD B. KIRBY.