Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 October 1908 — James E. Watson’s Townspeople Say He is Norally Clean. [ARTICLE]

James E. Watson’s Townspeople Say He is Norally Clean.

Rushville, Indiana, October 6, 1908. Hon. Moses Leopold. Rensselaer, Indiana. Dear Sir: I am writing you about a matter that has been made prominent in this campaign. There se?ms to have been a systematic effort on the part of certain people, who indulge in such practice, to discredit my friend the Hon. James E. Watson. The campaign in many places has degenerated into a slanderous and malicious attack on his personal character, and as his friend and neighbor I deem it my duty to speak. I have known Mr. Watson intimately for many years and until this campaign I have never known his reputation for honesty and sobriety nor his uprightness of charac er questioned. Such derogatoi-y reports as have been circulated about him in this campaign, should be resented by all truth loving people as there is no foundation for them in fact. I speak from personal knowledge 'when I say, his character is above reproach, and his reputation for honesty, sobriety and morality is unquestioned in the community where he lives. With a family of thr.e boys and one girl no man has a more delightful home life.

I desire to resent with all the positiveness of my nature the vicious reports relating to Mr. Watson, that have been made to do duty th s campaign, and to brand them as fake and malicious in their inception. Both in public and private life he has been the champion of the common man, and has stood with his party on all measuies for the benefit of the laboring man and f<?r the advancement of the business in’erests of our country. I would be glad to have this statement given wide publicity, and hope you are in position to aid this effort as well as all work of the campaign. Yours truly.

JOHN K. GOWDY,

The following statement has leen signed by neighbors of' James E. Watson and citizens of his home city as an expression of their estimate of him as a man. The signers are members of the Democratic, Republican and Prohibition parties and some of them are not political supporters of Mr. Watson. They are citizens, however, who believe the truth should be told and that no man’s character should be unjustly attacked even in a political campaign. Rushville, Indiana, Sept 18, 1908. Rumors of derogatory reports, circulated in some sections of the state, affecting the personal character of the Hon. James E. Watson, having reached us. we. the ministers of Rushville, his home city, desire to certify that Mr. Watson stands high among us as a citizen. With his neighbors, his home life is recognized as ideal. In his church, his character has never been questioned for a moment, and his reputation for sobriety and morality is untarnished. His manly stand for temperance is recognized as characteristic of the man and is in harmony with the private life he has led among us, and the utterances he made as a citizen, long before his present candidacy: Virgil W. Tevis, Pastor St. Paul’s M. E. Church. W. H. Clark, Pastor United Presbyterian Church. J. F. Cowling, Pastor First Pres- ! byterian Church. Richard W. Abbeiley, Pastor Main : St. Christian Church. W. J, Cronin, Pastor Roman Catho- 1 lie Church. We have read the foraging testimonial and hereby endorse the nama as being true: Will M. Sparks, Judge Rush Circuit Court. Earl H. Payne, Preet. People’s National Bank. Theodore Ambercromble, Preet Rushvine National Bank. L. Link, Pree’t, Rush County National Bank. A. B. Irvin, Cashier Farmers’ BankScholl. Superintendent City-