The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-22
RATHER ON THE FENCE
DEMOCRATS DON'T KNOW JUST
WHERE THEY ARE SAT,
Making Up n Ticket Will De the Lea 1T
of Their Troubles To-day.
THE Platform.

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The Democratic state convention will as
semble in Tomlinson Hall this morning at
10 o'clock. Candidates are to be nominated
for secretary OF state, auditor, treasurer.
attorney general clerk of the Supreme
Court, superintendent of public instruction,
statistician, geologist judges of the Su-
preme Court in the Second, Third and Fifth
districts, and there are threats of nominat-
ing for five appellate judge districts. Many
of the delegates arrived yesterday and
were active about the Grand Hotel They
were very different class of men in APP
pearance from those who came here two
years ago, and the body was more like that
of the old-time Democratic days before the
party was given over to the Populistic
craze. The radicals and Missionaries were
not so predominant as in 1896.
As the delegates arrived yesterday they
were met by the steering committees of the
candidates and hustled off to their head
quarters, in order to secure promises of sup
port in the convention to-day. Most of the
delegates were cautious about making
promises. but by nightfall about every can
didate was claiming that he had a sure
thing and that he could not be defeated
lot of wire-pulling and combinations of all
sorts were made.
Late last night the feeling prevailed that
the Taggart slate published in the Journal
last week would go through, and that the
following nominations would be made:
Secretary of State-Samuel II. Ralston,
Boone county.
Auditor of State-Joseph L. Tanning, Ma
riOn county.
Treasurer of State-Hugh Doherty Wells
county.
Attorney General-John G. McNutt, vigo
county.
Clerk of the Supreme Court-Allen w.
Clark, Decatur county, or Joseph L. Kelley,
Jennings and Marion counties.
Judges Supreme Court - Second district,
Leonard j. Hackney, Shelby county, Third
district, James McCabe, Warren county;
Fifth district, Timothy K. Howard, st. Jo-
seph county.
Nobody cared enough about the nomina-
tons for superintendent of public instruc-
ton, statistician, geologist or judges of the
Appellate Court to- make predictions along
this line, other than to declare, as the
Journal announced last week, that Edgar A.
Brown, ex-circuit Judge of this county,
would be the candidate for appellate judge
from the Third district.
Last night the fractional fight over the
nomination of Supreme Judge Hackney
terday the name of Judge Willard S. New,
of North Vernon, was withdrawn. 1t was
announced, indeed, that he had never been
a candidate and was here to support Hugh
D. McMullen, of Aurora. Judge New was
elected in Republican district and has two
years of his term yet to serve and his
friends are opposed to his resigning as he
would be succeeded by a Republican. Eff
forts were made to get some one else from
the district to come out against Judge
Hackney but they were unavafling. Last
night Mr. McMullen expressed confidence in
his own nomination. In his estimation the
efforts to bring out another candidate were
made by the Hackney faction simply to
divide the opposition and thus weaken 1t.
He felt sure of his own nomination unless
some trick was turned against him of which
he had no knowledge. Hackney's friends
were claiming his success was assured, say
ing 1t would be a serious mistake to renorfl-
mate two and not the third candidate for
Joseph r Tanning said that he believed
he would be nominated and declared that
the Marion county delegation was solid for
him. Other well-known politicians regarded
the fact that Mr.. Tanning had been on the
ticket two years ago as in his favor, inasmuch
as he had made the race against Dig odds,
he was appointed by Attorney General
Ketcham to assist in collecting the money
alleged to be due the State from the Van
dalia Railroad was mentioned as in his
favor and it was said that If he were elect
ed he would be in a position to aid in the
prosecution of the claim. Friends of John
his defeat. saying Mr.. Tanning would more
than likely be nominated on the first ballot.
This idea was secuted by friends Of Ernst,
Herff and Johnson, who said that Mr.. Fan
ming would be given a run for his money.
Joseph L. Kelley was confident OF his abil-
ty TO down the king of all the push,
Allen w. Clark, of Greensburg, in the race
for clerk of the Supreme Court. Marion
county men assert that Kelley would have
the support of the Marion county delegation
almost in Its entirety although Albert
Sahm's ward delegation is pledged to Henry
Warrurn. The latter was unwilling to make
any predictions as to what he would get
out of Marion county The publication of
the combinations that were being worked
in favor of either Kelley or Warrum as
against Clark made friends of the latter be-
stir themselves good deal and last night
they were declaring that Taggart, Morss,
Kern and others would not dare break faith
with Clark, who was the original silver
man of the State, who devoted his entire
the arrangements for the late bimetallic
convention here.
Henry Stockfleth and Adam Heimberger,
ing Hugh Doherty, of Wells county,
pretty close race for treasurer of state 1T
was asserted last night. and there were
Adair, of Jay, and William G. Wulber, of
Dearborn county. All appeared confident of
receiving good deal of support.
IL was admitted on all SlueS tnat a SOOu
deal would depend on the position taken by
Marion county and there was some disap-
pointment from outside men that the Ma
rion county delegation had not pledged it.
self to Tanning, as If this had been done
they said it would have been easier to
locate the candidates more easily geograph-
ically. There was some fear, however, that
this was an Indication the Marion county
people intended to carry out the threat of
hogging everything in sight. Still, from in
dications last night, the intention of break
ing the slate for the sake of Marion county
candidates will not be followed, as there
has been such storm of protest from other
parts of the State.