The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-01-13
The Republican Cnucus Required hut
One Ballot to Reach N Result, Fair
banks Receiving Sixty Votes.
NOMINATION MADE UNANIMOUS
SPLIT IN THE CAUCUS ON THE CUES
TION OF AN OPEN BALLOT,
Resulting in the Withdrawal of Is
Members, Who Returned When
the Rule Was Rescinded.

After threatened bolt, or rather a with
drawal for consultation, that lasted over
an hour last night, the Republican sena-
torial caucus resulted in the selection of
Hon. Charles w. Fairbanks, who received
GO votes, against a scattered opposition
of %.
The last day of the contest was produc-
tive of so much activity that it proved an
interruption to legislative business and
neither house held an afternoon session,
During the day the topic of interest in the
senatorial fight was the question of wheth-
er there should be an open or secret bal
lot in the caucus. The followers of Nc
Keen desired secret ballot and fought
hard to that end, but the Fairbanks man
ayers corked the thing up by writing an
agreement to have open ballot and by
noon they had obtained the signatures of
fifty-five members to il. When this became
known to the opposition things began to
take on a rather ugly look. Eighteen or
twenty members opposed to Mr.. Fairbanks
under the leadership of Senator Duncan,
declared that unless the Fairbanks people
agreed to a secret ballot they would de-
cline TO go into the caucus. This would spoil
an election in the assembly, for the Demo-
Gratis and Popuists have been yearning for
just this sort of thing in the belief that
they could cause a split in the Republican
party. Their leaders have intmated over
and over again that they stood ready to
throw their strength to one of the minor
Republican candidates if they would bolt
the caucus, but hitherto no attention has
been paid to these intmatons.
Mr.. Fairbanks's people held a caucus at
4 o'clock TO check up their strength for
the last time and found that they had
plenty 10 spare. They had been a bit un-
easy from the fact that four members who
had been counted as Fairbanks men when
they left last Friday had got away from
them when they returned to the city on
Monday. The managers of Mr.. Fairbanks
did not know what had caused them to
change their minds and there was a con-
stant fear that the same influence might
make sfurther inroads in their forces but
they at any time had no idea that the de-
feat of their favorite could be accomplished
until this threat OF a bolt came up. 1t was
discussed in the caucus and the members
agreed TO have a secret ballot with the res
ervation that each might announce
his vote if he desired. ssi
The followers of McKeen, Wallace and
Taylor held a final caucus at O'Clock.
The first subject discussed was as TO
whether all the candidates. should go be-
fore the caucus. The decision was the
same that it had been at all the caucuses
of the field = held during the past week
namely, that the names of all three OF
these candidates should go before the eau
Gus There has been a mistaken impress
sion that the opposition TO Mr.. Fairbanks
had been endeavoring to concentrate it's
forces on one candidate during the past
week. This idea was given up over week
ago and the continuous effort during the
past week has been to keep Wallace and
Taylor from Withdrawing. After the sep
arate caucuses of the members OF the
House and Senate for organization of these
two bodies last Wednesday night il was
the intention of General Wallace and his
friends to withdraw his name that night.
The friends of McKeen heard of this and
pleaded long" and earnestly that Wallace
be kept in the race In order to hold what
strength he had from going to Fairbanks
and to prevent the moral effect his with
drawal would have and which was likely
to demoralize the ranks of the opposition
to Fairbanks. After debating the matter
until after midnight the friends of Mr.. Wal
lace announced that his name should go
before the caucus, and they gave their
reason privately to be the fact that his
withdrawal would disturb matters and
prove offensive 10 some of the men engaged
in the struggle. Judge Taylor at. no time
made a very active canvass and his friends
thought that he had little TO gain or lose
by either withdrawing or staying in the
race, but there have been two or three
times when General Wallace was on the
question of judgment in the minds of his
friends as to which was the better course
with reference to the future political status.
They realized over a week ago that the
possibility of his receiving the nomina-
ton this time very slight indeed.