The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-23
THE EIGHTH DISTRICT
MADISON COUNTY THINKS STILL
WELL STRONG CANDIDATE.
Mayor CrOmer, of Muncie, Makes an
Explanation to DisprOve Charges
of DisIoyaIty at Home.
Special to the 1ndiananolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
ANDERSON, Ind. May 22.-Horace Still
WELL of this city, goes, to Decatur tonight
to open headquarters for the Eighth con-
gressional district convention, which will be
held Tuesday. He will be followed to-mor
row noon by the Madison county delegates.
Indications are most favorable now for the
Madison county man, though there are five
candidates in the field. 1t is claimed that
he will go into the convention with fifty
six votes the entire strength of this county.
An even one hundred votes are necessary
for the nomination. Mr.. StillweIl has been
content to make still hunt, backed with his
hfty-six votes He has ntagonized no man,
has spoken against none and has made no
enemies. He has not been an aggressive
candidate. He did not enter the Blackford
county fight nor any of the other contests.
He hopes to go into the convention as the
second choice of ali counties which have
candidates. 1t is evident that there will be
many ballots. Should any one man weaken,
it is thought that many of his votes will go
to Stillwell. Cromer of Muncie, will go
into the convention with the forty-nine
votes of his own county, and it is claimed
that he has three pledged from other coun-
ties. Marsh, of Winchester, will enter with
the thrty-one votes of his county, and it
is claimed he will get twenty-five of Jays
tWenty-three votes. He is counting on three
more from Blackford. Sharpe of Bluffton,
will enter the race with Wells's fifteen
votes, eleven from Adams, two from Black
ford and he claims seven more from Black
ford, making total of thrty-five. 1t is
thought 1. P. Watts will have no delegates
on the first few ballots, though as a dark
horse he may walk away with the plum
In case of deadlock. Sharpe of Bluffton,
Marsh of Winchester, and Stillwell are con-
sidered very strong. The interest in this
county is very general, and great many
people will follow the delegates tomorrow
evening. The Eighth district is one of the
most important in the entire country 1t
stands hrst in voting population, first or
second IN manufacturing, first in the num-
Der of presidential postoff1ces. first in the
total number of postofficeS (262), and among
the nrst IN natural gas and oil. 1t is
district worthy of good representative.
CrOmer Responds to Attack ON Him.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
MUNCIE, Ind. May 22.--Mayor George
W. Cromer, Delaware county's candidate
for Congress from the Eighth district ar
rived home to-day and was asked as to how
he viewed his prospects for success at the
Decatur convention on Tuesday, and as to
what effect the attack made on him by
thirty Muncie citizens would have. Mr..
Cromer says he is very hopeful, and, in
deed, has no doubt of his nomination. He
attributes the protest to his personal and
political enemies, and congratulates him
self that after vigorous effort in a county
casting nearly eight thousand Republican
votes they were unable to enlist but thirty
persons to oppose him, and several of these
were induced to join in opposition by mis-
apprehension of the facts or by the mis-
representations of few enemies. Several
of the persons whose signatures appear to
the protest have voluntarily withdrawn
their names, and others have expressed
keen regret at having been overpersuaded
and misled into signing the same.
Mr.. Cromer insists that he has never voted
for a Democrat, as is charged, or aided a
Democrat to defeat Republican and that
in so far as his opposers charge upon him
the sin of boiling, they are placing upon his
head the sins of themselves that among the
thirty signerS to the protest are included the
habitual and well-recogniZed boilers and
disorganiZers of the Republican party in
this county; that one of the subscribers to
the protest was himself boiling candidate
Tor Judge, whereby the election of a Demo-
cratic judge was brought about, and another
has publicly boosted of having voted for the
only Democratic judge ever elected in Della
ware county and of having voted for each
and all the Democrats who have been elect
ed to the office of mayor Of Muncie., Another
or the S1gnerS to the protest was the chair
man of the boiling convention which put
forward in 1891 the Democratic candidates
who defeated the regular Republican city
ticket and each and all of the thirty signers
who then resided in Muncie who do not now
regret having signed the protest, bolted and
assisted in electing that Democratic ticket.
Mr.. Cromer further says that the charges
OF boiling made against him are disproven
by the fact that since the time that sin is
he has been made chairman of the county
Republican committee; has been twice
chosen member of the state Republican
committee; has been nominated at a Repub
lican primary by an overwhelming majority
for the Office of mayor of Muncie, and has
been elected to. that office by the largest
majority ever given in the city to any other
candidate for that office. AS to the methods
by which Mr.. Cromer obtained the indorse-
Congress, he says he regards them as hon
est and fair, and in accordance with the
usages in the past, and besides, it was not
his method and plan. but the plan and
method of the county central committee
to which he yielded, and it is certainly as
fair and honorable as the method by which
a county central committee usurps and eX-
ercises the power of eliminating local candi-
dates. Mr.. Cromer says that he has con-
Quoted his campaign by fair and honorable
methods. without personal assaults upon the
character or standing of his opponents, with
eye single to harmonious and solid sup
port by all the Republicans of the district
of the nominee, whoever he may be. Mr..
Cromer seems much gratifed by the spon-
taneous and prompt manner in which many
hundreds of his friends have come forward
and signed an open letter to the Repub
licans of the district in answer to the one
sent out by his few enemies, warmly COM
mending him as fit for and worthy of the
position to which he aspires and en-
phatically refuting every charge made
against him by his opposers. This letter
bears the sigma lures of nearly all the coun-
ty officials and several of the Republican
nominees for Office in this county. and all
the officers and many of the members of
the Republican county and city committees
and prominent Republicans of the county,
including a great many members of or
ganized labor.