Jan. 23, 1961: 2 V-M Carriers Thrilled By Inauguration Rites

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on January 23, 1961.

2 V-M Carriers Thrilled By Inauguration Rites

The color, vitality, and pulsating throngs of people who milled through Washington, D.C., on the weekend of Jan. 20 will be long remembered by two Valparaiso Vidette-Messenger carrier boys who were fortunate enough to witness the inauguration of the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy.

Ron Oelling, son of Mr. and Mrs. Howard Oelling, RFD 5, Cooks Corners, and Ron Boyer, son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Weller, 403 Beech, were the two lucky lads who saw the inauguration proceedings from choice seats in the stands of Section B, just to the left of the television platform, and directly opposite the inaugural platform.

Boyer (left) and Oelling (right)

The boys, winners in a recent contest conducted by The Vidette-Messenger, were taken on a three-day tour of the Capital by Vincent Anderson, V-M circulation manager.

The tour was under the auspices of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, and included a jam-packed three days of sightseeing, in addition to the inauguration and the inaugural parade.

Through the generosity of Rep. Charles Halleck, minority leader of the House of Representatives, the boys and Anderson were able to obtain tickets to the prized seats just two hours before the swearing-in ceremony was to begin.

Anderson contacted the Congressman early Friday morning and was invited to the Capitol building where the office of the minority leader is located. There they were given tickets for the Inauguration proceedings.

Boys Meet Halleck

While at the Capitol, Anderson was able to introduce the two boys to Congressman Halleck, immediately before he left in his car to pick up Vice President Richard Nixon.

They were also able to see Sen. Mike Mansfield, majority leader of the Senate, as he was leaving his office for the Inaugural.

The bitter cold and heavy snowfall in Washington Friday hampered traffic to the Capital but by 11 a.m. the streets were filled with invited guests and sightseers all converging on the grounds.

The boys, who had gone back to their hotel for Oelling’s camera, were caught in the crush of people and security police on Pennsylvania avenue. The police checked the passes about five times before the group was able to reach their section of the stands by 11:30 a.m., it was noted.

Impressed By Youth

About 50,000 persons filled the available seats and lined the grounds to witness the inauguration.

Anderson stated the speech given by the new president was very well received by those assembled, and the affection of all for poet Robert Frost was evident.

“I was very impressed,” Anderson noted, “by the youth of the men who will make up the administration, and by the number of young governors seen in the parade.”

Anderson and the boys went to the stand to witness the parade and were able to obtain seats on South Pennsylvania avenue, directly in front of the U.S. District court building.

Red Cross and First Aid station personnel worked overtime treating frostbite cases, and others who suffered ill effects in the cold weather.

See Gov. Welsh

During the parade, the group was able to see Gov. Matt Welsh and the units sent from Indiana. They moved down Pennsylvania avenue with the throngs and finally left to eat dinner at 6 p.m.

The boys arrived in the Capital on Thursday morning and toured the Capitol, building, House of Representatives, and the White House; went to the top of the Washington monument, and the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. On Friday night, despite all the excitement of the day, they toured the Lincoln Memorial, National Archives and the Capitol grounds at night.

They checked out of the Annapolis hotel Saturday morning for the final part of their tour, and went to Mount Vernon and Arilington. At Arlington they witnessed the changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and visited the Iwo Jima memorial, the Smithsonian Institute, and the National Gallery of Art.

At 6 p.m., they boarded the train for their return trip, tired but happy, excited and exuberant over all the things they had managed to accomplish in three days. They returned to Valparaiso Sunday morning.

Nov. 16, 1960: Halleck Wins By 25,456; Nixon Captures Indiana By 22, 762 Vote Margin

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 16, 1960.

Halleck Wins By 25,456; Nixon Captures Indiana By 22, 762 Vote Margin

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)ーThe final official vote counts in the Nov. 8 election show Vice President Richard M. Nixon carried Indiana by 222,762 votes in his lost cause for the presidency.

The official canvass announced today by the secretary of state’s office gave Nixon 1,175,120 to capture the state’s 13 electoral votes. President-elect John F. Kennedy got 952,358.

In the race for governor, Democrat Matthew E. Welsh won by a 23,177-vote margin ー 1,072,717 to 1,049,540 for Lt. Gov. Crawford F. Parker, Republican.

Final results for four district congressional races, delayed by late - reported totals from several county clerks, showed:

2ndーGeorge H. Bowers, D-Valparaiso, 70,464: Rep. Charles A. Halleck, R-Rensselaer, 95,920.

9thーRep. Earl Hogan, D-Columbus, 69,761; Earl Wilson, R-Bedford, 71,402.

10thーRep. Randall S. Harmon, D-Muncie, 78,716; Raph Harvey, R-New Castle, 104,885.

Bruce By 21,000

11thーDonald C. Bruce, R-Indianapolis, 154,676; Rep. Joseph W. Barr, D-Indianapolis, 133,153.

Official final tallies in Indiana’s seven other congressional districts reported Tuesday showed Republican victories in the 4th, 5th 6th and 7th districts.

Rutherford L. Decker, Prohibition party nominee for President, received 6,746 votes in Indiana, and the choice for governor, J. Ralston Miller, received 5,392.

Eric Haas, Socialist Labor nominee for President, got 1,136 votes, while the party’s nominee for governor, Herman A. Kronewitter, received 816.

Nov. 6, 1930: COUNTY CLERK MAY REQUEST CHECK OF VOTE To Await Outcome of Canvass of Tuesday’s Election Figures Before Deciding Sep to be Taken RECALL RECOUNTS IN TWO ELECTIONS

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 6, 1930.

COUNTY CLERK MAY REQUEST CHECK OF VOTE

To Await Outcome of Canvass of Tuesday’s Election Figures Before Deciding Sep to be Taken

RECALL RECOUNTS IN TWO ELECTIONS

Members of the Porter county election board are scheduled to meet this afternoon at the courthouse to canvass the vote for candidates on the various tickets at Tuesday’s election.

The board will go over the tally books to ascertain whether the right computations have been made, and will compile the totals of the candidates for certification to the secretary of state. The work is expected to be completed sometime tomorrow. 

Members of the election board comprise: Mae R. London, county clerk; Owen L. Crumpacker, republican, and Joseph L. Doyle democrat.

Whether Mrs. London, who was defeated by Mr. Doyle for re-election will demand a recount of the vote will be determined following the canvass of the vote.

According to the vote returns, Mrs. London was apparently defeated by Mr. Doyle by 63 votes, although another tabulation gives only 62.

A difference of one or more votes in each of the 41 precincts of the county in favor of Mrs. London might turn the outcome around and result in her re-election, her supporters point out.

A cursory examination of the envelopes containing the mutilated ballots and those not counted by the election boards throughout the county reveals that few of the boards designated the number of such ballots so as to give a live on how many were rejected. Whether this number is great enough to warrant a recount would depend largely on the feasibility of such a move.

If the canvass shows no decided change, and the number of uncounted ballots are insufficient to change the result, then a recount would prove of little value as far as Mrs. London’s aspirations for retaining her office is concerned.

The only times when recounts were asked in history of Porter county politics were in 1928 when William W. Bozarth, Valparaiso, present prosecutor, and Clarence D. Wood, Chesterton, former prosecutor, staged a thrilling race which showed Bozarth had been nominated in the republican primary by eleven votes, and in 1892 when Heber Stoddard republican, defeated Joseph Sego, democrat, by three votes. In the latter case Stoddard won out by 5 votes in a recount before Judge John GIllett, which was later affirmed when an appeal was taken to the supreme court.

In the case of Bozarth and Wood, the former was declared the nomine after Wood had been adjudged a winner by 3 votes in the recount that followed.

In a contest before the Porter county commissioners Wood’s right to have his name placed on the ticket was upheld. Bozarth then appealed from the ruling to the Porter Superior court.

It was Wood’s contention that a number of students in the College hill ward had voted without right and all had voted for Bozarth.

In the hearing before Judge H.L. Crumpacker, a number of ballots ruled out as mutilated were declared regular.

After making deductions for the votes cast by students for Bozarth, where it was clearly established they were not residents of the city, the court found that Bozarth was the winner by 5 votes.