Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 99, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 March 1916 — WOOD IS GROSSLY MISREPRESENTING THE TENTH DISTRICT. [ARTICLE]

WOOD IS GROSSLY MISREPRESENTING THE TENTH DISTRICT.

'Congressman Will R. Wood is certainly misrepresenting the people of the Tenth Indiana- district and playing peanut politics at a time when we need real, broad-minded statesmen in congress. In the interviews with Indiana congressmen published in the Indianapolis News a few days prior to the vote in the lower house, on the proposition of standing by President Wilson in upholding international law and maintaining the honor and dignity of the United States in the rights of American citizens taking. passage on merchant vessels of belligerents, Congressman Wood is Quoted as saying: Representative Wood (Rep.) Stated that his position was unchanged. “I will vote for the resolution,” said Mr. Wood, “despite any question of political expediency that may rise. It tickles me jto see these fellows squirm around, now that Mr. Wilson has cracked the whip and told them how they must vote.” In referring to the above remark of Wood, a Lafayette paper states that “old-time Republicans expressed surprise and disgust that their representative in congress at this critical time, when of al) times pa-* triotism and sound, calm judgment

should control congressional action, Mr. Wood resorted to cheap buffoonery. and was “tickled” because he wanted to see these fellows squirm,” and that George P. Haywood, one of the leading Republicans of Tippecanoe county and former postmaster of Lafayette, said that he “sent a telegram to Wood that will wake him up, if it don’t burn him up. I told him to stand by the President and quit making a fool of himself.” Notwithstanding Mr. Haywood’s telegram and other protests from his constituency, Congressman Wood voted with the minority Tuesday, when the house by vote of 276 to 142 went on record to sustain President Wilson, and was the only Congressman from Indiana to so vote. §n speaking of Mr. Wood’s vote Tuesday, the Lake County Times of Hammond, one of the leading dailies of Lake county and the Calumet district, says: Will R. Wood, congressman from this Tenth Indiana district, yesterday voted not to sustain President Wilson in his determination to protect American life and American rights upon the high seas. Will R. Wood, congressman from this Tenth Indiana district, yesterday voted not to support President Wilson’s foreign policy in demand-' ing German observance of international law in its proposed submarine warfare. Will R. Wood, congressman from this Tenth Indiana district, yesterday voted for the William J. Bryanueber alles policy and for the German propaganda in behalf of the Gore and McLemore resolutions, and for an embargo on munitions of war. Will R. Wood voted to show warring European nations that American people are divided in thefr r*, spect for American rights and the sustaining of national honor. Will R. Wood voted for a resolution to put a streak of yellow in the grandest banner that was ever flung to the breeze, the Stars and Stripes. He voted for narrow partisanship and against the American government. He voted to weaken the voice of the. President and to paralyze his hand. He voted for himself: for the vote that he "thinks he will get next fall to send him back to congress. Letup turn for a minute from Will R. Wood to another Republican who took a stand without fear of the consequences to himself. Discussing the armed ship issue in the senate recently Senator Sutherland, Republican member of the foreign relations committee, stood qua rely behind President Wilson in his policy in dealing with Germany the submarine negotiations. “I do not want war at any time,’' said Senator Sunderland, “and I pray Rod that it may not come now, but 1 would rather have war with all its sacrifices and suffering than that this nation, with all its long history of heroism and glory, should play the poltroon when confronted by a supreme national duty, because it places a greater value, .upon its ease than upon its honor.

I am one of those who desire peace," the Senator continued/ “but a nation, when all other means fail, that will not resent a flagrant* and* illegal attack upon the lives of its ow ti citizens is only less destestable ! than :t man who will not fight for his wife and children. And, believing as | do about that, if the life a,! American citizen is again taken hy the illegal and deliberate sinking without warning of a merchant - hip, unarmed' or armed only for defense. ?hen this government should hold, the offending nation to a stern reckoning. I shall never give my consent to the issuance of a formal and official notice such a? lias been proposed, which, if not heeded .would, without minimizing our duty in the feast, have the effect of embarrassing and weakening our moral standing if we should once more he under the sad necessity of seeking reparation for the destruction of the lives of our people.” Merrill Moores of Indianapolis, *nd.ana s other Republican congresslifan, bravely stood hy his guns in the crisis arid voted to’ stand by the President of these United States in this hour when lie: needs the. support of his people. On the primary ballot yesterday we. noted that- Will R. Wood is a candidate for re-election to congress next fall. \\ ell, the ides of November will soon he here and it will he interesting* to see the figures.

Congressman Wood lias also had •onsiderahle to say since he has been a member of congress about the people of his district being so much against motor rural mail service, while as a matter of fact the patrons ot the rural routes are almost unanimous in favor of such service. Speaking of this latter matter the 1 ippecanoe County Democrat says: For 14 years Will R. Wood misrepresented the people of this county in the state senate in Indiana and now he is engaged in like occupation in the lower house of congress. His recofd in the state senate is a blight on Tippecanoe county and he has started out in Washington to exceed in irresponsibility the reputation he made nearer home. Congressman Wood, in speaking on an amendment offered to the postoffice - appropriation bill in the lower house last week indulged in a grandstand play which wag calculated to thrill the “people back home.” Mr. Wood made one misstatement after another, but the falsity of his charges disturbed him not a bit. He was speaking of the motor rural service in Tippecanoe County, and he tried (0 give the impression that country patrons of the Lafayette postoffice . are receiving their mail at delayed intervals, if at all. He stated in the house that carriers were resigning their positions because it was physically impossible for them to do the work required of them—a statement absolutely un-

tvue. He declared that the farmers of Tippecanoe county aer up in arms because of the change from horsedrawn routes to motor routes. And that, too. Bears the earmarks of falsity. There has not been a day, except Sunday and legal holidays since the i motor routes were established when j the. carriers have not gone out on their routes. There were a few days when the weather conditions and the roads were the worst when they did not cover their entire routes, but there has never been a winter since the establishment of the rural service some 14 years ago, w'hen the carriers on the routes were able to serve every patron every day. That is true not only in this county, but in adjoining counties where they are yet served in the old slow liorsedra'vn way. The service this year has been the equal of any in the past and any fair minded patron on any route out of the Lafayette office will so tell Congressman Wood. There are a few disgruntled patrons on the routes, because of one reason or another, but there have always been such. There always will be. The rural carriers leave the Lafayette postoffice at 8 o'clock, in the morning. When the weather is at all favorable they are back in the Office, after completing their entire routes,, not later than 1:30 o’clock in the afternoon. There are people living within the corporate limits of the city of Lafayette who do not receive their mail until shortly before noon and still Will R. Wood would have you believe that l o’clock is too late for a man living ten miles in the country to receive his postal service. Is that the statement of a sincere legislator or the ranting of a political fakir? '

With the snow deep on tire roads or the highways resembling mires as they did two or three weeks ago, it would be most unreasonable to expect carriers to maintain their schedules, still they delivered their mail and were back at the postoffice before dark. And no other County where the service was of the ancient so good a record. Congressman Wood declWd that rural carriers were resigning their positions because they could not do •he work exacted. He certainly must have known when he made that statement that he was uttering a b se lalsehood. There has not been a resignation from the rural carrier service in Tippecanoe county since September Ist last, when the motor routes were established. At that, time temporary carriers Were appointed to serve until applicants for the places could take civil service examinations and qualify fcg- permanent appointments, as required bv law. All of the temporary carriers took examination, some of them failed to reach, qualifying grades and those are the ones who have given up their routes to their more successful competitors, and not one gave up but would have liked to hold the place permanently. Congressman Wood knew that to be'the case, still he was not honest enough to so state in his ranting in the house. Is that representing or misrepresenting the people of this county? The mere fact that more than S ! •>,() (id a year is being saved in this county by the motor routes, and the fact that 7x more families are being served by the new routes, families who did not get mail delivered to their homes under the old system, (iocs not seem to impress Congressman \\ ood at all. His rank, intolerant partisanship does not stop at falsehood, care nothing for honesty, iis only purpose being to discredit an ;>d ministration politically opposedthat he may reap personal advantage, and continue to draw a public salary which lie . lias continuously drawn for the past 24 years.—Tippecanoe County Democrat.