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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1917)
. ; at- The Commoner 22 W "1 t -' Progressive Reforms in Indiana Lebanon. Iutl,, March 2, 1917. To Tlio Commoner, Lincoln, Nebraska. The dry democrats of Indiana aro very much 'elated at this tlmo over the splendid reform measures that havo boon written into law in tho present legislature They havo had much to contend with for tho past ton or twelve years but havo con tinued to mako progress. 'Their work has been somewhat retarded by tho opposition but the progressive doraocracy of Indiana know what they were fighting for and had the courage to continue their battles. In tho last democratic stato con vention tho wet forces of tho demo cratic party wero in absolute con trol. They wrote a platform to their own liking without regard for tho great majority of dry democrats in tho state of Indiana. Tjo brewer crowd rofusod to recognize dry dem ocrats for any political preference or position. One of tho leading dry democrats of Indiana, a man with splendid busi ness and political judgment, one who had contributed practically all of the money to defray tho expenses of the primary fight in the 1915 legislature which, by the way, was a victory or tho dry democracy of Indiana, was denied tho right to even havo his name go before his district caucus as a candidate for delegate to tho St. Louis convention. This democrat was James H. McGill of Valparaiso, a personal friend and strong sup porter of W. J. Bryan, and about the tlmo McGlU was being skidded in Indiana tho brewery crowd was de feating Mr. Bryan In Nebraska for delogateship to tho national conven tion; however, tho wet forces-reckoned without their hosts both in Nebraska and in Indiana because Nebraska was voted dry in the last election and Indiana has just been given, by tho present legislature, statutory prohibition and. strange as it may 'seem, tho two men mentioned, McGill of Indiana and Bryan of Ne braska, have had much to do with winning this great victory in Iri-dlana. Early in November Mr. Bryani was invited to come to Indiana to as sist in organizing a dry democratic movement. He gladly accepted tho invitation and on November 18th met with one hundred fifty oi the leading dry democrats from all sec tions of the stato at the Claypool hotel in Indianapolis for a confer ence. ' Mr. Bryan's address before that conference was one of the most re markable of his career. His Scath ing rebuke of Steven B. Fleming of Ft. "Wayne, Indiana's brewery boss, will long be remembered. He pointed out how Fleming had dominated the Indiana democratic state convention in 1916 and how a wot platform was put over in that convention by brew ery control and how Fleming insult ed tho womanhood of Indiana and tho nation in tho St. Louis conven tion and was again supported by tho wet forces of Texas and New Jersey. In this conference it was unanimous ly decided to join with Mr. Bryan in his fight for stato and nation wide prohibition and plans for a perman ent organization were made and James H. McGill of Valparaiso was selected as the chairman of the movement. Just sixty days later Mr. Bryan again returned to Indiana to address the democratic dry organization. It was found necessary to hold this meeting in Tomlinson hall, and it was certainly gratifying both to Mr. Bryan and the Indiana democrats who were responsible for the organ ization to find that their number had. increased from one hundred fifty men to moro than fifteen hundred pres ent at the meeting. Mr. Bryan's ad dress again aroused renewed interest throughout tho state for the cause of temperance. On the forenoon of January 19th, by invitation, Mr. Bryan addressed the Indiana senate, presenting his views on constitutional convention, statutory prohibition, and woman's suffrage, and gave sound reasons why tho Indiana legislature should pass all three of these measures. Mr. Bryan was cordially received and it was conceded immediately after his address that the brewery control of Indiana had been broken in fact, routed and there was never a ques tion from that moment as to what the results on all three of these 1 great issues would be. Tho constitutional convention bill passed the lower house with seventy eight votes for and twenty votes against. It passed the senate with thirty-four votes for and fourteen against. Prohibition passed the lower house seventy votes for and twenty eight votes against. It passed the benate with thirty-eight votes for and eleven votes against. "Woman suf frage passed the senato thirty-two votes, for and sixteen against. It passed' tho lower house with sixty seven votes for and twenty-four votes against. It, occurs to us that miracles aro still being performed. It is quite true that there were other great influences in the state working for the passage of all of these laws which had much to do with tho statutes being written and yet, I think, we are justified in claim ing that, without the support of W. J. Bryan, none of these great reforms would havo been written into law. It is gratifying indeed to those who havo been so closely allied with Mr. Bryan for the past twenty years in all off Ms great reform measures, both political and otherwise, to give testimony to the wonderful influence no exertea in tnis recent oattie tor reform. It is also vlth pleasure that we express our appreciation of our own T sf For ai Dry Nation The Commoner, Lincoln, Neb.: I am in favor of driving the salorm out of the democratic party and out of the nation and I will endeavor to secure the number of subscribers to The Commoner marked (X) in. this coupon. I will remit for these sub scriptions as I send them at your clubbing rate of 60c per year,. Yours truly, 10 15 20 25 Name P. O . . 4 . State good citizen, James H. McGill, who has rendered such splendid service and given so liberally of his financial means and contributed so generously with his time during tho legislature of 1915 and the session just now clos ing, The real democracy df Indiana will always bo under many .obliga tions to Mr. McGill for tho reason that ho has made his fight and the sacrifices of money and time without any selfish motives. He has had no desire to hold office and. has not ex pressed a willingness to do so in fu ture. Tho only favor that he has asked at tho hands of his party was tho privilege of representing his dis trict in the national convention in 1916, and this privilege was imme diately denied him by the wet forces of Tippecanpe and Lake counties. Mr. McGill was informed by the men wno have dominated the democratic party in these two counties that ho was entirely too dry and for that reason they would not even, allow his name to come before tho 'caucus, much less permit him to-go as a delegate. Indiana has been one of the stater in which Mr. Bryan has been extreme-. ly popular since he first made his ap pearanco in American politics. In- umuu juub given Mr. joryan more votes as a presidential candidate than any other candidate making the race for president on the demo cratic ticket. Mr. Bryan received in 1908 fifty-seven thousand votes moro as the candidate for president than Woodrow Wilson received in 1912, and Mr. "Wilson's vote of 1916 was six thousand votes short of the Bry an voto in 1908. The real democracy in Indiana- re joices in the great work that Mr. Bryan is now doing for the splendid cause of temperance. - 4We' are' glad to note that the liquor control of Nebraska is at an end and wo are glad of the conspicuous part that Mr. Bryan played in crushing it. We are extremely giaa in Indiana for the great service ho has rendered in our stato for tho cause of temperance and the writer appreciates more than words can express the privilege he enjoyed by being present at the great temperance dinner tendered Mr. Bry an in Washington on December 6, 1916, and I am of the opinion that Mr. Bryan's stand in Washington at that time in favor of temperance had much to do in advancing the tem perance legislation in the present congress. I desire to call the attention of the Indiana readers of The Commoner to the activities of Governor Goodrich' m regard to these great reform measures. I am sure'lt-'ia ekririfnliv conceded that the governor himself wielded a wonderful influence in be half of these great reforms.' It is also conceded that he accepted with great honor the privilege of signing all three of these great reform meas ures. Goyernor Goodrich has taken .the side of the common people in many instances during the session of the legislature, His fight for an ex cise tax law and the bracing the burden of taxation on those who a able to bear it is indeed commend able, and yet the general impression is that his efforts will fail because the system or the big business inter ests in both the democratic and re publican party are opposed to the legislation that he has recommended. The governor appreciated very highly the appeal made by Mr. Bryan, in his address before thexIndiana senate in January in behalf of the governor's economic program, and it is quite re gretable .that the democratic mem bers of the' senate have not voted for more of the governor's recommenda? tions. VOI- 17, NO. 3 The dry democracy of Indiana N well organized for the selection l, delegates to the constitutiona con' vontion. They are not golne utT partisans to fight for democra Vj are going- to join with tho nrmrrio sive citizenship of Indiana in S ing men capable of rewriting i," diana's organic law. The Indiana Forum, the demn cratlc state organ that was Rtnr?t" in October, 1915, under CmawE ment of Horace H. Herr for the Jr pose of fighting for constitutional convention, statutory prohibition and woman's suffrage, has had much to do in advancing the cause of real democracy, and its splendid editor Mr. Herr, is rendering a great ser vice to the state as an advocate of real democratic reform. All demo crats iii Indiana who desire party success along right lines should read Mr. Herr's splendid paper. We are glad in Indiana to give expressions of our appreciation for the great service rendered to our stag. by the .great Commoner and It is gratifying to furnish information to The Commoner readers of the na tion of the wonderful work that has recently been accomplished in our slulo uy iir. jaryan in his fight against the liquor traffic. JAMES K. RISK. LEAGUE APPROVES GOODRICH , PROGRAM From the Indianapolis News. Tho Wilson and Bryan Leaguo of Indiana, by its executive committee, has come out in resolutions approv ing the efforts of Governor Goodrich to get economic legislation in tho abolishment of unnecessary offices and also indorsing the excise tax measure proposed by the governor. The league goes on record in favor of the part suffrage bill for women. commends the general assembly for the enactment of the state-wide pro hibition law and for its action in call ing" for a constitutional convention. The league opposes repeal of the primary law, but believes, if changes are made, that these slibuld he to extend the principle. The Wilson and Bryan league, a democratic organization was formed three years ago in a state-wide meet ing at Marion, Ind., and since that time it has always put in its best ef forts for meritorious legislation and has stood for progressive ideas in party management. The league was organized principally for the purposo of getting a constitutional convention and to bring about the enactment of a state-wide primary law. The state wide primary law was enacted two years ago and the act calling for a constitutional convention passed on favorably by the present legislature only a few days ago completed the second half of the task outlined by the league. The league was militant two years ago in bringing about the enactment of the primary, law, and it was through the activities of the league that pressure was brought to bear on some of the members of the session two years ago. It was also througn the work of the league that the at tention of Indiana democrats i in Washington was called to the efforts that were being made to defeat tue primary measure. fV While the league is a AemoonM organization, its officers say that i believes in promoting f ood JK Jf tion, no matter, what the origin o such proposed legislation may o The indorsement by the league of tM efforts of Governor Goodrich, a .though .he is a republican, is not un usual tho league officers say. ' - ., V
