The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-01-06
Had Separate Caucuses of the House
There Were Not Majority There.
IS PETIT BY RECLAMATION
ALL OTHER CANDIDATES FOR
SPEAKER WITHDRAW.
Time of Holding Senatorial Joint
Caucus-Mutiny Against Hotel Rates
-Hcuse CIerkship Determined.

Something Of a sensation was caused in
the senatorial race last night when the
members supporting Mr.. Fairbanks met in
caucus at the Denison House, the members
of the House in one room and the senators
in another. Each caucus contained a ma
Jority of the Republican members of the
house ii represented and the two contained
in person and by proxy ffty-five members.
In one respect the caucuses resembled the
famous Market Hall meeting at Mime
apolis in 1892 as d showing of strength.
Each gathering was informal and, after
the call of the roll showed the fact that
there was represented in the two meetings
a clear majority of the joint caucus. the
only subject discussed was the date of the
meeting to nominate a senator of the
United States.
There was no desire to push this matter,
but the point was made that, inasmuch
as these gatherings showed that the con-
test was settled, it would be economy of
time to hold it early in order that the
Legislature might get down to it's work
of enacting laws. Each meeting adopted a
resolution declaring it TO be the sense of
the meeting that the joint caucus should
be held at an early date and at any rate
not later than next Tuesday night. The
senators did not appoint a committee to
call the Senate caucus for organization this
evening, but it taken by consent that
it should be held at 1880 o'clock at the
whist club room in the Denison. The
meeting of members of the House ap-
pointed committee composed of Messrs.
Shideler, of Grant, and Hart, of Hunting
ton, to issue a call for the House caucus.
They have called it for 1880 o'clock in the
Century Club room at the Denison.
One of the Terre Haute friends of Mr..
McKeen last night showed list of twenty
three members, which he declared were the
only ones who attended the House caucus
of Fairbanks men. lie also said he had it
from two or three that were there that
there was less than a majority of the sena-
tors in the Senate caucus.
Both parties of both branches will hold
their caucuses for organization this even
ing Custodian Griffin has arranged four
different rooms for the various Republican
and Democratic caucusc and was TO have
assistants stationed in he Capitol to direct
members to the various places of meet
ing, but this will not be necessary
for the Republicans will meet at
the Denison and the Democrats at
the Grand. 1t is likely that the
crowd will scatter out to their homes the
next morning, for two-thrds of the politi-
clans here from various parts of the State
are here for the purpose of assisting the
candidates for minor positions as door
keepers and clerks 1t is a common habit
of nearly every man who wants to get on
one of the doors of either house TO stand
as a candidate for principal doOrkeeper,
and thus il is that there are a host of cam
didates for this position i'm either house
The candidates for minor clerkships are
not so numerous, but there are. enough of
them, that there is not likely to be
any great difficulty in making up the cler-
ical forces of each house.
The crowd gathering for the organization
of the Legislature was not very materially
sion throughout the State that the sena-
torial contest is already settled and that
III. {. Petit has sure thing on the speak
ership has served to prevent from COM
ing large numbers of people who had ex-
pected 10 come to the capital and take
hand in these contests. ,.here was little
more activity in the senatorial contest
than the day before, largely due to the
fact that four or five members of the Sen
ate began working vigorously in the effort
to gather strength about Frank Il. PoSey
in order TO make him a factor in the con-
test Mr.. Posey is from Evansville, where
three members of the Legislature were in
structed for Mr.. Fairbanks, and where
four or five others in the immediate vicinity
are counted in his column. The idea in
launching the boom for him was to sutfi-
ciently weaken the Fairbanks following TO
hold the nomination OFF for several ballots
in the caucus in the belief that IL Mr.. Fair
banks does not win on the first two or
three ballots he will not win at all. Yes
terday the lines were more sharply drawn
on the time for holding the caucus. There
has been. up TO yesterday, disposition to
hold it next Thursday evening, and thus
get the contest out OF the way early. but
the managers of General Wallace entered
plea for more time and inasmuch as
the managers of both Fairbanks and Nc
Keen held an attitude of entire indiffer-
ence. there was a strong disposition among
the members to grant the wish of the Wal
lace people and let the caucus go over un-
til next week. Yesterday morning however
affairs took somewhat different shoot, and
in little caucus of members where the
matter was talked over informally much
was said in favor of pushing the caucus
through at the time originally suggested.
Before the day was out the followers of
on the side of an early caucus, though this
difference of opinion did not operate en-
tirely upon these lines. The time for hold
| ing the caucus Will be definitely determined
tonight when each house holds it's sep
arate caucus. If ii is not held tomorrow
night, next Tuesday evening will probably
be the date fixed upon.
The various candidates for senator con-
tinued their campaign yesterday in the
on from the beginning. General Wallace
Mr.. Mckeen and Judge Taylor received
their friends in their various headquarters
and talked for the most part about affairs
not connected with politics. Mr.. Fairbanks
remained in his office most of the day re-
ceiving the members who called, and when
night came there seemed to be no material
change in the situation when the mana
gers held their little evening caucuses of
friends TO again check over the list of SEN
ators and representatives,.