The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-20

The Twelfth Congressional District Fight
Correspondence of the Indian apolis Journal
Fort WAYNE, Ind, March 18-The Twelfth
congressional district is compact and shapely
one, embracing six counties in the northeast
angle of the State. The district is solidly Dem
ocratic. This is owing to the heavy majority in
this county. Old Allen is indeed the Gibraltar
of Indiana Democracy On the face of the re.
turns, Cleveland beat Blaine 1892 votes here
More than As per cent Of the entire Democratic
vote in the Twelfth district is polled in Allen.
This, with other things, has given the
county steady and decided predominance
in Democratic councils for a quarter of
century. In truth, for twenty-five years-to go
back no further-Alen county, particularly,
hast constituted the district, SO far as the DEM
ocrats have been concerned. From 1862 to 1884,
inclusive all the Democratic candidates for
Congress have come from Fort Wayne, with
single exception In 1872 Neff, of Portland, who
was beaten by Shanks, broke into the success
sion. The boundaries OF the district have, of
course. been changed but Allen has always re-
manned the political center and retained
her ascendency. And not only have
eleven, out of the twelve nominations since
1862, gone to Fort Wayne Democrats but
it is another noteworthy fact that nearly ali the
candidates have come from one of three families
in this city-either the clan Colerick, the 'ducal
family of Hamilton" or the ancient, perennial
Lowry. The elder Colerick was nominated in
1870 when he was beaten by General Shanks);
his son Walpole G. was chosen in 1873 and 1880;
A. III. Hamilton carried off the prize in 1874 and
1876, and Judge Lowry has received four nomina
tions-being defeated in 1866 by Billy Williams,
and again in 1868 by Shanks;; So, for eighteen
years three Fort Wayne families have appropri-
ated all the Democratic congressional honors
in this district, and it is tolerably certain that
the next candidate will be either Lowry, Cole
rick or Hamilton-one of the same old dynas-
ty. All this tends to produce some feeling and
to provoke good deal of comment, and it has
come to pass that the brethren outside and in
the cold are wont to profanely refer to our coun-
ty as hog" Allen.
But if Allen is hoggish as county, what shall
be said of Judge Lowry as an individual? The
Judge is an oficeholder from way back"-he is
the veteran barnacle of northern Indiana He
was city recorder of Fort Wayne before
he was of age and has been in official position
most of the time for the past forty years or
more, and the old gentleman does not show the
least inclination to retire to private life In
view CT all this it is not surprising that Demo
Gratis in the outside counties who believe in 'ro-
tation" should desire a change; and the point
that Fort Wayne in general and Mr. Lowry in
be made and urged with the utmost persistence
and vehemence in the coming contest and no
doubt with considerable effect
The Journal has been informed of the meeting
OF the congressional cOmmlttee ana It's actlon
All the six members are devoted adherents OF
Judge Lowry. In fixing the date and place of
holding the convention they went as far in his
interests as they dared or he would allow. Some
were in favor of calling the convention in the
early part of April, and on the question of the
place the vote 6 tie between Fort Wayne
and Auburn, the latter being chosen by the cast
ing vote of Chairman Zollinger The Judge
and his henchmen probably felt that it would
not be policy to be too pggish-to not press too
hard on the other side and deny them fighting
chance. But the Lowry people are very juhilant
set-to.
The convention meets in less than two months
1t viii be short, sharp campaign, if all signs
do not fail one of the hottest, bitterest fights on
record. For sixty days the Democratic camp
will be a scene of fierce strife and tumult,
honeycombed with plots and counterplots and
torn with factions. Who will win is in the fu-
ture, NJ