It has long been Indiana’s proud boast that money unsupported by honest merit has never intruded in her politics.  A malign force threatens to mar this record.  It is incumbent upon honest men of all parties who have the best interests of our state at heart to stop, look, listen.  The COURIER gives notice that it is fully advised of the intentions, and perfectly aware of the methods, by which the fair name of the Hoosier State is menaced.  The COURIER, being thoroughly informed of the beginnings of this movement, whose purpose is the seizure of the Democratic Party, and the manipulation of its power for private ends, will antagonize to the utmost the element that has initiated it.  Honorable defeats the party in Indiana has known, and it will hardly at this late day surrender tamely to the buccaneers and adventurers that seek to capture its battleflag.  This warning will not be repeated.  Stop!  Look!  Listen!

From internal evidence Harwood placed the authorship readily enough:  the paragraph had been written by the chief editorial writer, an old hand at the game, who indulged frequently in such terms as “adventurer” and “buccaneer.”  It was he who wrote sagely of foreign affairs, and once caused riotous delight in the reporters’ room by an editorial on Turkish politics, containing the phrase, “We hope the Sultan—­” But not without special authority would such an article have been planted at the top of the editorial page, and beyond doubt these lines were the residuum of Bassett’s long interview with Atwill.  And its aim was unmistakable:  Mr. Bassett was thus paying his compliments to Mr. Thatcher.  The encounter at the Country Club might have precipitated the crisis, but, knowing Bassett, Dan did not believe that the “Courier’s” batteries would have been fired on so little provocation.  Bassett was not a man to shoot wildly in the dark, nor was he likely to fire at all without being sure of the state of his ammunition chests.  So, at least, Harwood reasoned to himself.  Several of his fellow passengers in the smoking-car were passing the “Courier” about and pointing to the editorial.  All over Indiana it would be the subject of discussion for a long time to come; and Dan’s journalistic sense told him that in the surrounding capitals it would not be ignored.

“If Thatcher and Bassett get to fighting, the people may find a chance to sneak in and get something,” a man behind Dan was saying.

“Nope,” said another voice; “there won’t be ‘no core’ when those fellows get through with the apple.”

“I can hear the cheering in the Republican camp this morning,” remarked another voice gleefully.

“Oh, pshaw!” said still another speaker; “Bassett will simply grind Thatcher to powder.  Thatcher hasn’t any business in politics anyhow and doesn’t know the game.  By George, Bassett does!  And this is the first time he’s struck a full blow since he got behind the ‘Courier.’  Something must have made him pretty hot, though, to have let off a scream like that.”