Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 May 1884 — CALKINS NEVER SAID IT [ARTICLE]

CALKINS NEVER SAID IT

The Hon. W. H. Calki ns is, beyond question, tlio choice of the great majority of the republicans of Jasper county for governor of the state, and now that that snide Chicago interview is positively and unequivocally repudiated we hope and believe that he will receive the-united support of the Jasper county delegation in the state convention. This is about the season of the year when wandering swindlers of the ligklening-rod and other orders are swarming over the coantry seeking whom they may despoil. Their devices are well nigli numberless and their ways are past finding out. People cannot be too careful in dealing with strangers and the only real safety is in having nothing'whatever to do with them. In any case, fight sky of the man who tries to make yoti believe that lief can sell any goods or do any service cheaper than anybody else; and above all, don’t sign any kind of a paper for a stranger, neither contract, agreement nor petition, chin he never so sweetly. * ——.. The Rensselaer Republican in effect, says that Jasper county will instruct their delegates to the Congressional Convention, for 8. P. Thompson for Congress.-[Kent-land Gazette. The Republican has said »oth • ingot the kind, either directly or indirectly. We simply advised the republican voters of the county to look the field over and vote for whom they believed to be the best men to fill each of the district oDices. We have expressed no opinion whatever as to whom we believed the Jasper county delegates would be instructed for, either [for congressman, judge, representative, or prosecuting -attorney. The Gazette’s inferences are entirely without foundation: We do not know who will be the nominee of the Republican party for president this year, nor do we very much care, if only it be a man who will harmonize the conflicting elements of the party, before the election, and give us a wise and conscientious administration after it. We are utterly opposed to the spirit of hero worship, in all '-its forms. There is no mnn so much wiser or greater, or who has done so much more for his fellows than other men, that we owe him the presidency 7. That all too -great and all too powerful office is altogether too exalted a position for any man to so far surpass in merit other men as to deserve it as a right, and in its disposal the interests of the people and not the claims of candidates should be the sole consideration. » The Rensselaer- Republican first week published extracts from the. Gazette ns to our remarks regard iag Air, B«'P. 'i hompsoi's position regarding his/reported intent to \ott* for jvdraunds. and also a rej ami in au.sv.w t-.> I r. j fiohipsou - letter in -the Gm; ‘ a ■TheltVpnb--1 crai trofcs the Gazette unfair inthe matter. It e 'piesm ’y parts < " the two articles and such part;-, which without makes •the Gazette/from' to contradict i:self.—[Kentland Gazette, j . We acknowledge the justice of the Gazette’s complaint, although the wrong, we did it was unintentional and the result of too much condensation. It will probably satisfy the Gazette if we say, as # v.e now do, that there was no in I consistency or* contradiction at all between that paperfirst article in regard to Mr. Thompson’s reprefeiences, ntid 7. its subsequent s comments Upon that gentleman’s position a 6 V r ‘t forth iu o letter published in Hi CVrittfliubi ■/- _

An linenuivocal Denial ot an Alleged Interview. There has been, and still is among pronounced temperance republicans, considerable opposition to |he nomination of the Hon. W. H. Calkins for Governor, on the grounds of certain remarks he i 8 alleged to have made) last summer, in regard to the state election in lowa. The remarks ivere of a character -which it was hardly possible to believe that a man of Mr. Calkins’ shrewdness and political sagacity would bo foolish enough to make, be his views on the prohibition question what they may; but the alleged interview ivas widely published, and among those who have not learned that Mr. Calkins denies having made the statements there attributed to him, are sonje who still accept it as gonuine, and think ill of Mr. Calkins accordingly. Of this class was the author of of the following communication, received a few weeks ago: ‘•Editor Rensselaer Republican.—l see, in former issues of your paper, that you favor Congressman W. 11. Calkins as a candidate for Governor of Indiana. 1 also see it reported, in other papers, that Mr. Calkins was interviewed, last* fall, as to the probal le success of the Democratic party in lowa. In his reply he is reported as saying: “* * * * If Sherman is defeated for Governor, 1 think the Republicans at large will have reason to rejoice, for it will be the death blow to tho prohibition craze, that has obtruded itself into politics premar turely. * * Will you kindly inform your readers whether Mr. Calkins ever used such, or ’similar language? Thirty Years a Republican.”

Tliis communication, together with a few necessary words of explanation, we sent direct to Mr. Calkins, and 1/ist week, in reply, received from him a letter, of which we give the essential portions: House of Representatives U. S., Washington, D. C., May 12th, 1884. G. E. Marshall Esq., Rensselaer, Ind. Dear Sir: You may say through the columns of your paper, for me, that I never made use of the language attributed to me, namely: “If Sherman is defeat»J for Governor. I think the -Republicans at large will have reason to rejoice, for it will be the death blow to the prohibition craze, that has obtruded itself into politics prematurely,” nor of anything like it. I have denied, on several occasions, a supposed interview (published in ,-omo Chicago paper last summer) with ms while 1 was in California. *Of course I do not know what interviews are published throughout the-■.country * * * * during the year. Of course I never see them, unless they are especially called to my attention. *** I will be glad, therefore, for you to say iu your paper that I never said, or desired Sherman's defeat in lowa, and, consequently, - thfjro is no’foundation of truth iu the report. Truly your friend,

W. H. CALKINS.

The Lafayette Courier, which is making a strong, and in the main,, consistent and sensible fight for high license, says in one paragraph of its last weekly issue, that “Prohibition is unjust and contrary to the' spirit of the constitution.” And in another, that“Thesaloons are responsible for nearly' all. the cri tn os." S ixk iug t h esa ■f vb pr op - coitions' together it is- manifest that the Courier wonhL have ns ■ 'elieve that it would be" “unjust :*.ud contrary to the spilt of the •onstitntion”'to‘ suppress by law tire business winch is the. chief cause of crime and its consequent misery. The fitter inconsistency of these- two statements of the Courier is too evident to require any comment. The fact is the only grounds hnpoo which high license, can be defended &s against prohibition, are those of greater- expediency and practicability. To concede, u-f the most'of us will, that the saloons are. responsible for at least a very hn-ge proportion of the crimes of the period is to make it impossible to oppose prohibition on the grounds of justice or abstract right, r ' |