The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-01-07
SOMETHING OF A SURPRISE
DIP. Erwin Defeated by Hiram Rowland
for Member of the Agricultural Board.
Other Members Elected Yesterday - Papers
and iscussiOns-Bribery Case-Jer-
sey Cattle Breeders Convene.

OF a humdrum, embarrassing character,
the only one of any moment to the outside
world being the one creating q separate
district OF Marion county by dropping
johnson county from this district and add
ing IL to the Fourth district. The men,
bers of the Seventh and Eighth districts
were transposed, thus making Marion
county the Seventh district. The report of
the committee was concurred in.
After the reports of the committees had
been acted upon, nominations for members
of the board. TO succeed those whose terms
expire with this meeting, were made.
Among the names presented was that OF
ID. r. Erwin among the Marion county can
didates. the other candidates from this
Seventh district being Hiram b. Rowland.
Horace 4. Wood. I. NJ. Richardson and G.
A. Stanton. Mr.. Erwin's nomination was
made by John b. Conner, who presented
certified copy of the proceedings of the In
dianapolis Board of Trade nominating Mr..
Erwin, a course taken at the request of the
State Board of Agriculture. which desired
a candidate that would fully represent In
dianapOlis interests.
Prof. e. s. Plumb, of Purdue University,
read q paper, showing How Science Helps
the Farmer" illustrated by showing that
the State Chemist had exposed two brands
OF fertilizers, one of which, worth only s.
ton. WAS solo at S22 ton, and the other,
worth 80 ton, was sold at ga. he said
that grape-rot. smut in wheat and other
pests had been attended to by science. He
thought it wrong that Indiana did not give
more projection to her dairy interests.
A paper on the SANITARY Condition of
Our Homes" communicated by DR.. G. l..
Andrews. was read by X. NJ. Lockhart.
was recommended. Shallow wells were
condemned dangerous. Driven wells
were commended. also cisterns, if kept
clean. he advised farmers TO put more
fruits and vegetables on their tables. He
thought they ate too much meat.
CANDIDATES HUsTLING.
The greater part of the forenoon had
been taken up with button-holing by can
didates and their helpers, and when the
afternoon session opened the floor work
much resembled that of an Indianapolis
city convention. However. when the bal
loting began the method of proceeding was
no more business-like than voting for a
thlmble ut an old-women's knitting bee,
and more than two hours were squandered
In an election that, properly managed,
would not have consumed twenty minutes.
AS each district was called in which there
were opposing candidates the contestants
were called to the front, like candidates at a
colored cake-walk and made to exhibit
themselves. AS the voting went on it was
also noticeable that several of the delegates
voted quite number of proxies, q proceed
ing not usually conducive to peace and
harmony. 1t is rumored, however, that
the State board may reform the proxy bust
ness and that hereafter the counties and
societies that desire voting representation
will have to send q b0natide delega ate.
Among the gentlemen who appeared to
have the greatest number of proxies were
Robert Mitchell. Sid Conger and Warren
w. Stevens.
President Banks appointed four tellers
to take up the vote. These gentlemen
NJ. Boggs and Adam Foust. and from eight
of the sixteen districts members were to
be elected to the State Board of Agricult-
ure. 1t has long been the fashion among
badly-lnformed newspapers to speak OF the
State Board of Agriculture as a "self-per-
petuating body" They say this under the
Impression that the members OF the State
board In these elections vote for them
selves. Such is not the case. They have
no vote whatever. unless they may come.
as in the case of Mr.. Mitchell, as delegate
representatives of q county or district ag-
rlcultural society or association.
When the First district was called, but
one candidate appeared. That was Robert
Mitchell, who is one of the oldest members
of the board. He was reelected without q
dissenting voice.
For the Second district. w. w. Berry de-
clined reelection. Two candidates ap-
peared, James K. Mccoy. who received AZ
votes, and John w. Emerson. who received
20 votes. Mr.. Mccoy was declared elected.
He il from Monroe City. Knox county, and
Is a son-In-law of ex- Gov. James ID. Will
Jams.
For the Third district the present incum-
bent. j. Q. A. Sieg. of Corydon, was re-
elected, receiving forty-four votes as
against thirty cast for Warren w. Stevens.
During this ballot Mr.. Stevens voted his
seven proxies in a lump. Objection was
made to this wholesale method. and there
after he voted each ballot eingly as his
name was called. John G. Shoemaker, of
this city, voted proxy for Perry county,
where quarter of a century ago he was
engaged in cultivating the succulent peach.
The people of Perry county are noted for
their tenacious memories, and when hunt
ing for proxy-holder thought OF Mr.. Shoe
maker
For the Fourth district three candidates
we're presented, Stephen DUNCAN of Frank
lin. w. Ii. Seward and George Z. Campbell
of Bloomington. Mr.. DUNCAN and Mr.. Sc
ward. both members OF the board, the
former for ten years or more, the latter for
twenty years. were thus opposed to each
other by reason of the attaching of john
son county TO the Fourth district to accom-
modate Marion county with district to 1t
self. Mr.. DUNCAN was elected, receiving
3s votes to so votes for Mr.. Seward and 6
votes for Mr.. Campbell.
MR.. ERWIN DEFEATED.
When the Marion county district was
called the candidates were asked to form
IN line before the presidents desk. AS they
Obeyed the call they assumed a look of
sheepish audacity and stood up to be in
spected. Mr.. Erwin had been called away
from the city and was not in the exhibit
Three ballots were necessary to decide.
On the first ballot q. A. Stanton received
s votes. L. M. Richardson /. Hiram How
land %. Horace +. Wood IL, ID. p. Erwin %
Pending the second ballot Mr.. Wood with
drew IN favor of Mr.. Rowland. The Sec
ond ballet stood: Rowland So Erwin 81
Richardson 8. The third ballot elected Mr..
Rowland, he receiving 81 votes to % for
Mr.. Irwin and for Mr.. Richardson.
The result was In the nature of q surprise
to the gentlemen who had asked the Board
of Trade to name the man." Evidently
somebody had gone to sleep, while Mr.
Rowland had remained awake and hustled
For the Fourteenth district T.. Is. Harris
of Goshen, was elected. receiving 81 votes
to 80 cast for j. A. McClung. of Rochester
For the Fifteenth district w. A. Banks. of
Laporte. was unanimously elected without
opposition. For the Sixteenth district two
candidates appeared-R. NJ. LOckhart the
present incumbent, of Waterloo. Dekalb
county, and j. NJ. Latta. of Hawpatch. La
grange county. Mr.. Lockhart was elected,
receiving 80 votes. to 81 votes for Mr. Latta.
Following the election. Prof. j. w. Latta
delivered an address on Farmers Insti-
tutes, their Organization and Management
Professor Latta told how the work is or
gained under the institute act of 1889. The
UanQral Milan of the IN hafa f,c llxy