Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1920 — WANTED TO PROTECT LOOEY [ARTICLE]

WANTED TO PROTECT LOOEY

Statement Regarding Cox Meeting at South Bend Was Garbled. Thomas Grant, who is one of this community’s straight-forward, thoroughly honest and greatly respected citizens, is very much Incensed at being called a liar and especially having the same printed in a newspaper. . t Mr. Grant is with the Paxton Lumber company of South Bend, but spent a few days here with his family, returning to that city Monday evening. . x While here he called at the Re. publican office and insisted that his statement that about one-third of the people who were in the audience at South Benji during the speech made by the Democratic candidate. Millionaire Cox, left. His compan/on, who was a Democrat, suggested he was disgusted and did not approve of the abuse being used in the address. After Mr. Grant and his companion left the hall ths companion remarked that at least a third of the people were leaving. Mr. Grant says that he heard a number of people complain of the abuse resorted to by Millionaire Cox.

The editor has talked with a number of people who attended the South Bend meeting and all Insist that many left the audience. Just Saturday a traveling man, who had attended the meeting, ’said that Mr. Grant’s statement was true and more than that Senator Watson had a larger 'crowd and made a better address' at Monticello last Friday.— Looey. In conversation with the writer Sunday afternoon Mr. Grant said that he did not make the statement to Hamilton as the latter published it, that “a third of the audience wete so disgusted with the address that they left the hall during the speech.” Asked just what he did say to Hamilton, he started out with: “Well, it was a very warm night and — Now if I tell you just what I said to him you will make Hamilton out a liar. I won’t tell you what I did say. Several left the hall, however.” There was a large number of people there? “Oh, yes. But several left during the speech.” Did they leave on account of the oppressive heat or because they were disgusted with the address? “Well, I left because I was disgusted. Another man —I didn’t ask him his politics, but herald he was a Democrat —left with me.” Did he leave because of the heat or because he was disgusted? “Well, I told him I was disgusted and he said be was, too.” But did you and this man constitute one-third of the audience? “Oh, there was more left. We looked back as we were going up the alley and saw some others coming.” Were these other people so disgusted with the address, or were they leaving on account of the heat? “Well, I was disgusted and the Democrat with me said he was, too.” This was all the Information forded by Mr. Grant, but the writer has personally talked with many very reputable people whp were also at this meeting, also read the newspaper accounts, including that of the Associated Press, which is supposed to be unbiased, and all agree that only an occasional person left the hall “on account of the heat,” but instead the large audience of thousands of people—the address was

given in the big coliseum—heard him through to the- end, and many reports said the speech was highly spoken of, and by many Republic ans, too.

H a third of a big audience of many thousands of people got up and left during the address of a presidential nominee, the opposition press next morning would have her aided it from Maine to California. Such a thing has never occurred and probably never will. It didn’t occur at South Bend, and every person with an ounce of common sense knows that it didn’t. It is too silly to comment on. No other partisan paper in the country was foolish enough or dishonest enough to publish any such charge or to Insinuate it, but. the Rensselaer Republican. As to Looey’s "traveling man,” we have met his kind in ever}' campaign for the last 25 or 30 years. He went »to school and went fishing many times with both candidates, knows them better than he. knows us; he has always voted the Democrat ticket, but he can’t support the Democrat candidate this time, knowing the two men as he does, etc., etc., and then more etc. Just what salary this sort of traveling man draws from the g. o. p. slush fund is not made public, along with the other secrets of this source. x