The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-03
MESSRS. STEVENS AND DOWNING
WILL BE IN THE RACE AT THE
BOARD MEETING TODAY.
Business Session of the ~BOard-The
Wool GrOwers-Fair Managers
Association Meets.

among the friends of the opposing candl-
dates for the ser setaryship of the State
Board of Agriculture. Look where one
would he was sure TO see a group of inter-
ested and excited men discussing the pros
poets Of their various candidates. Some of
the old timers declared that they had never
witnessed such a fght- anu SAID it reminded
them of a presidential campaign on the
night before the election.
Each faction was pulling every wire 1t
could to capture the delegates and nothing
was left undone by either side. The forces
of Mr.. Downing maintained late last night
that he would be elected by a vote of Is to
3. They say that he is absolutely sure of
seven votes from the eight holdovers and
feel confident hat they will elect six of the
eight members to be elected this year. A
member of the board said last night that
the only man among the members whose
term does not expire who would vote for
Mr.. Stevens was III. l.. Nowlin, of Guilford,
and he claimed that they are absolutely
sure of the votes of Knode Porter, OF
Hagerstown: Charles Downing, of Green
field, who will vote for himself; w. T.
Beauchamp, of Terre Haute; John l.. Davis,
of Charlottesville; NJ. S. Claypool, of Mum
Gle; Mortimer lowering, of Lafayette, and
John L. Thompson, of Gas City.
OF the directors to be elected the Downing
men claim that the opposition made to j. S.
Haines in the First district has not been
at all formidable, and they say that his
election means a vote for Downing.
A NEW MOVE.
n new move has been made in the Second
district by introducing a candidate to OPP
pose Mason j. Niblach. Mr.. James S. Nc
Coy, who is said to be cheek-by-jowl with
Mr.. Stevens, announced about 3 o'clock last
night that he would be a candidate in the
Second district. and his friends at once be-
gan an active campaign in his behalf. The
Downing forces think that Mr.. Niblack will
win easily, and say that he is sure to vote
for Mr.. Downing. The fight in the Second
district may have been a counter move on
the part OF the Stevens faction to retaliate
for the bringing out of E. l.. McKinstry, of
Corydon, to oppose Mr.. Stevens in his own
district. for it was thought at noon yester-
day that Mr.. Stevens would have no OPPOSE
ton. When Mr.. McKinstry's name was an
nounced as a candidate the Stevens men
were somewhat nonplused, for they real
lied that it would take part of their atten-
ton away from the other districts, If moth
ing more, but late last night, when Mr.. Nc
Kinstry went to Mr.. Stevens and told him
that he would not be a candidate, the faces
of the ~latter's constituents were wreathed
in smiles. When the Downing forces heard
of it they declared that they would vote
for McKinstry even If he did say he was
not "A candidate. In the Fourth district a
member of Mr.. Downing's forces said that
the Stevens candidate, F.. A. Robinson. was
practically out of the race, saying that the
fight had narrowed down to 1. N. Brown
and Cal Worral, both of whom. he de-
clared, were friendly to Mr.. Downing. The
Stevens forces, knowing the situation in the
Fourth district, are doing all they can for
Robinson and feel confident OF his election,
because they say the vote of the opposition
will be divided between Brown and Worral,
while their faction will vote solidly for
Robinson.
DECLINE TO WITHDRAW.
A mutual friend of Worral and Brown
waited upon each Of them and tried to per-
suade one of them to withdraw, but even
though he pointed out the possibility of de-
feat for both of them, they both declined to
withdraw from the race. In the Seventh,
Fourteenth, Fifteenth and Sixteenth dis
tricts the situation is practically UNI
changed. The fight between Aaron Jones
and c.. B. Benjamin, in the Fifteenth dis
trict, is thought to be very close, and the
friends of j. L. Mcdonald are claiming a
walkover for him in the Sixteenth district.
Both sides seem very confident of a VIC
tory, and IL would be hard to predict the
outcome of the fight. A member of the
board who is very close to Mr.. Downing
said last night that Mr.. Stevens's chief
reason for wanting the se~cretaryship of the
board was on account of the prestige it
might give him in making a race for Con-
gress, as he said it was Mr.. Stevens's inten-
ton to do this fall. Mr.. Downing said last
night that the statement that this was a
factional fight was entirely untrue, and, in
CO fo~ nc nc Ennu ~ xr0G Inn nlt q rrnDdI
contest, in which the winner would have
the good will of the loser. He said that he
did not think he was receiving fair treat
ment when it was stated that the state fair
lost 5000 under his administration as pres
ident of the board, for If it had not rained
the week Of the fair 1t would have been a
success in every way When Mr.. Stevens
was informed of what Mr.. Downing had
said he replied that he had nothing further
to say. as he thought a fair statement of
the situation had been made in Tuesday
mornings Journal.
THE BUSINESS SESSION.
Owing to the great success of the state
fair last year, and the bitter contest that
is on for places on the board, the forty
eighth annual session began yesterday
with a larger attendance than 1t has had
in many years.
The meeting, which was to have COM
menced at 10 o'clock in the morning, was
late in beginning because Mayor Taggart
did not arrive on time and the sixty dele
gates who We're present would not go on
with the session without him.. When
Mayor Taggart did arrive he welcomed the
members to the city in a brief speech, in
which he extended to them the freedom
of the city.
President w. w. Stevens, in his annual
address, said there was no class of people
who would be benefited so much by or
ganization as the farmers. He said a fair
should be held in every county, and or
PLANTATIONS should be established looking
toward the betterment of the farmers
condition socially, morally and financially.
He said that fairs directed the attention
of all classes to the most useful and i'm
portant pursuits of life, and thus threw
out a most healthful and beneficial in
fiuence. He said the scope of the State
Board of Agriculture should be enlarged
so that il would be Of more use To the
people who looked TO Ii for agricultural
information. Mr. Stevens, in discussing
the apathy of the Indianapolis business
men toward the fair, said that all the ef-
forts made by the booard to induce them
TO cooperate with it had proved futile.
Mr.. Stevens recommended that the fair
| take on less of the exposition character
and preserve its agricultural display.
! THE BOARDS FINANCES:
At the close OF President Stevens's ad-
| dress, Secretary Kennedy read his report,
which showed that the total receipts for
the year were S56.543.30; total disbursement