Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1906 — AN APPEAL TO ALL [ARTICLE]

AN APPEAL TO ALL

Governor Hanly Makes a Convincing Presentation of the Pressing Political Issues In Indiana. 1 ■ ,mi RESPONSIBILITY OF DECISION The Governor in Bn Impassioned Appeal Seeke to So Rivet That Responsibility to the Voter’s Conscience That He Muat Needs Carry It With Him Until He Btands in the Isolation of the Election Booth. | Tipton. Ind., Sept. 25.—Governor J. Frank Hanly opened the Indiana Republican campaign In thia city last ; night, addressing an audience which tasted the capacity of the Tipton Opera Houße. The governor’s notable address received the most care- i ful attention on the part of his great audience, which was deeply Impressed with the force of his arguments, which were chiefly confined to state Issues. The governor said in part: I wish to speak tonight not only to you who are here assembled, but to the men and women of Indiana, without regard, to their political beliefs or their party affiliations. My appeal is to all—to the business man, to the wage-earner, to the professional man. to the employers, to the employee, to the farmer, to the manufacturer, to every citizen wherever he may be, whatever vocation he may follow, and whatever his conviction. I would that my appeal be accepted as a personal one to each of my fellow-citizens throughout the state. I want that the responsibility of decision shall rest upon each of you individually, and I would, If I could, so rivet that responsibility to your conscience that you must needs carry it with you until you stand in the isolation of the election

booth in November. I want that you strip your mind of partisan biaß; I want passion stilled; personality forgotten; and criticism hushed, that you may hear and that you may consider in sober candor and with thoughtful care what I here present. I want that this be done because I have a profound conviction if it he done, that my cause will win its way to your hearts and to your consciences and appeal to the nobler nature that lies in each of you. A General Review. Governor Hanly reviewed the circumstances leading up to the appointment of an investigating committee, the discovery of the defalcation of Auditor Sherrick, and the misappropriation of funds by Secretary of State Storms and their removal from office, and after devoting some time to the subjects of private banking, the work of the tax commission, the advocacy of a two-eent passenger fare, and the elimination of free passes to public officers, the governor turned his attention to the present prudent management of the several state institutions, which he reviewed at length, and made a plea for the neqpssary additional appropriations for the completion of the new epileptic village. The governor advocated the enactment of a law securing to the township, city, country and state the Interest accruing on all deposits of public funds. He defended the Moore amendment to the Nicholson law, and said that the administration stood for its maintenance. He discussed the stand of the administration in favor of law enforcement, and said that no legal business lawfully conducted had been, disturbed by any act of the administration. In conclusion he said: I have Bought to present in such detail as the occasion has permitted a somewhat comprehensive review of the work, policies and purposes of the state administration. To this you have been kind and patient enough to listen. Now, let us sum up. I hold these things to Its credit: It has created and organized the State Railroad commission, whose work has been of great value to the public. It has enacted a private banking law in which the right of the state to supervise and examine state banks is asserted, and which has been upheld by judicial decision.

It has obtained a Just and fair increase in valuation of corporate property by the state tax board. It has given the state a remonstranoe law which recognizee the right of a majority of the voters of a township or ward to remonstrate against the retail liquor traffic, making a successful remonstrance good for two years. It has restored and maintained under trying and delicate circumstances integrity In the administration of public office. It has exposed and removed from office unfaithful public servants. It has collected and returned to the state treasury, principal and interest, and without loss to the state, the moneys these officers had misappropriated. It has laid bare and broken up a system of cpeculation and sequestration of official fees and public moneys long practiced in the administrative offices of the state. It has uncovered the misappropriation ?>T public moneys by officials whose terms have long expired, instituted suit for the recovery of the money where such officers are alive and solvent, and In one instance recovered Judgment therefor. It has corrected errors In the tax settlements made by insurance com-

panics, and secured the repayment at the money due the state. , It has maintained the non-partisan management of the state institutions, and is engaged in the construction of new institutions commensurate with the needs of the state. ■ It has caused the discontinuance off the acceptance and use by public officers of passes, franks and free favors from transportation, telegraph and telephone companies, and by its crusade made the practice odious among the people. It has inaugurated in the administrative offices filled by incumbents holding commissions by its appointment. a system of accounting for interest on public funds. It has investigated and is ready to I present to the public information concerning insurance conditions of a character calculated to furnish a safe and wise basis for legislative action, i It has enforced the laws, and by appeals to the public conscience created a deeper respect and a higher regard for the law’s sanctity than heretofore existed. This and more has been accomplished. It has not been done by the executive alone. That would have been impossible. It has only been through 1 the support and loyalty of public officials and the expression of public sentiment in its behalf. A Hopeful Look Forward. With these things done, it turns to things it hopes -yet to do and for which it intends to stand. It hopes to secure an amendment of the railroad commission law, giving additional authority to the commission, eliminating the defects in the present law, and strengthening its provisions. It hopes to secure an amendment of the private banking law, by which the state shall be given the power of inspection and under which inspection shall be real, and not nominal. It hopes to secure the passage of a law providing for a two-cent maximum passenger rate.

| It hopes for the enactment of a law creating depositories for public funds, and requiring the payment of all interest accruing thereon into the several public treasuries of the state. | It hopes to secure provision for a system of accounting on the part of the i administrative offices of the state and ( authority for the examination of their . accounts. It hopes to secure a revision of the laws relating to life insurance “that will designate and more closely restrict the kind and character of securities deposited with the auditor istering such companies, societies and associations, and provide for the complete publicity of their affairs." It hopes to secure payment from the , foreign insurance companies doing business in the state, the taxes they , erroneously paid to ex-Auditor Rice ! and which he misappropriated. ) I said it “hopes” to secure these things. I may, however, put it stronger. It intends to secure these things if executive influence and an appeal to the conscience and Judgment of the citizenship of Indiana can do It. A United, Progressive Party. But that is not all. Back of the administration and the things which it has done and which it hopes and Intends to do, is a clean and able party organization, the members of which believe in these things from principle and not as a matter of expediency. And back of this organization is a united, progressive, militant and triumphant party. If there was a moment when the party wavered, the time has passed. Even then it was but the tremor a brave man feels on the eve of a crisi9. Now it is Itself again. It was never more worthy to administer government in Indiana than it is today. It has purged itself and cleaned the house. It has put into its plighted word and into Its accomplished deed the hot blood of moral purpose. It is more worthy than ever of its splendid past. Its platform la not a subterfuge upon which to get into office. Most of its provisions grew out of the experiences of. the last two years, and the public needs that have been disclosed thereby. They are the expressed convictions of purposeful men who mean to transform them Into law. Given administrative officers in accord with it and a general assembly that will support it, the administration will redeem the promises made in that platfrom and make history of its resolves. On the Other Side.

On the other aide, what have you? A party organization in the absolute control of Thomas Taggart of French Lick and Alonzo Greene Smith, erstwhile plunderer of public revenues. In all sincerity I ask, “What can you hope to accomplish with administrative officers and a legislature dominated by these men? I am not speaking of the Democratic party, but of its present day management, and of the two or three men who dominate gad control it I am well aware that they do *ndt represent the true Democracy of Indiana. I quite agree that, if the new pure food law applied to them and they were compelled to write the true name of the goods on the package they present, they would soon go out of business. In this connection I beg to quote an accurate and forceful description of the present opposition management .from a letter recently written by high Democratic authority, Hon. John W. Holtzman, late mayor of the city of Indianapolis: “I am not finding fault with nor criticising the Democratic party. The party is all right, but those who have been controlling it have very nearly succeeded in destroying its usefulness.

It is generally believed that certain forces in foe party are more interested In foe protection of foe breweries and foe Monte Carlos of Indiana than in foe welfare of foe party. 0 "Through whom is the Democratic party going to start its house-clean-ing? Is it to be done by those who are looking after the brewery interests of the state? Is the statehouse to be cleaned by those who want the gaming tables to continue where Auditor Sherrick lost |9,000 of the state’s money?’ ■^y’’’ 1 ...■■■ "Can any Democrat answer these questions? A party is not judged as much by its declaration of principles as it is by the character of the men who are entrusted with Its management. There is only way of answering these questions, and that is for foe state convention to, remove those whom you now distrust and place men on guard in whom the entire public has confidence. There is no use In nominating men of high ideals and high purposes unless the party itself stands for honesty, cleanliness and decency. “It is idle for us to dream of victories under a management and leadership that inspires distrust In our own ranks. It is vain for us to attack the tremendous majority In Indiana under a leadership with which the rank and file has no sympathy, and under an organization whose birth was surrounded by rumors of corruption and a general sentiment of distrust.** But the Taggart-Smlth state convention did not remove the men to whom Mr. Holtzman referred in his letter. On the contrary, it seated them more firmly in the saddle than ever. Mr. Smith, is still its spokesman. In behalf of the management he calls Mr. Holtzman to account in foe following words: “No, I am not in accord with you in this campaign. You are a dlsorganizer, seeking to disrupt and defeat the Democratic party. You belong to the rule-or-ruin class. You have not the confidence of the rank and file of the Democratic party, and should not ask ine for a certificate of your party loyalty.” _____ Testimony of Mr Tryan. I beg, also to submit for your consideration the testimony of Mr. Bryan, given in the city of Chicago on the sth inst., on the importance of character in party organization:

“The honesty of a party’s purpose is shown, not merely by its platform or the speeches of its candidates and supporters, but by the character of the men who are entrusted with the party management.” I venture to suggest that the question which has arisen in Illinois has already arisen in Indiana, and to apply the language of Mr. Bryan to the present Democratic national chairman the state convention, but I do not believe he can asphyxiate the voters of the state." If Mr. Bryan’s statement that the honesty of a party’s purpose is shown by the character of the men who are entrusted with its party’s management (and I take its truth to he without successful contradiction) what, I ask you, can he hoped from a Democratic triumph at the polls In November? If these men are given power they would but repeat the performance of other years. Henderson and Smith would still be Henderson and Smith. While these men do not constitute the Democratic party and are not representative of it, they own its organisation and, in the words of spiritualistic brethren, they are its “control." I am glad that the Democracy of Indiana is better than its management; that there are thousands of men calling themselves Democrats who believe sincerely and profoundly In the things In government for which the present administration stands. And I especially appeal to them. Can you do better than to pitch your tents with ours in this campaign? Will it not be well to administer another defeat to these gentlemen who have foisted themselves upon yon and who dominate your party organization? Will It not he easier, if you dethrone them hy defeat in November, to take Charge of your party and reorganize it for the campaign of 1908? , If you unhorse them once more, will you not have done with them for good? By so doing you will not win a party victory this time, hut you will have materially advanced the cause of good government in Indiana, and, in the language of Mr. Holtzman, you will have put yourselves “in a position to accept victory with clean'hands when it does come."

As for myself, I have more, confidence in the conversion and regency atlon of Hie Republican party along civic lines than I have in theirs. I was present and saw the Republican conversion. In fact, I was preachin* at the meetin’ where it occurred, when the blessing came, and I have an abiding confidence in its genuineness and in its lasting qualities. * If you believe in the policies and the things I have presented and really desire their completed accomplishment, can you do better than to stand by the present administration by givlSg It administrative officers in sympathy with it, and a general assembly that will put its hopes into law? The history of the race demonstrates, and our knowledge of the human heart teaches us, that as a rule it is better for a child that Its care and custody be committed to its father than to give it into the hands of strangers. In the tight' of that experience 'and of “that teaching I submit to you the final question: “Will ftt not be better to entrust these things with the present adminisratlon than to give them Into the hands of Thomas Taggart of French Lick and Alonzo Greens Smith r