The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-14
PETITION FOR HOFFMAN
NEW CANDIDATE FOR DEMOCRATS
MAYoRALTY NOMINATION.
lacked by Men That Oppose John j.
Appel and Hope tn Scare
Him Away.

Another candidate has entered the race
for the Democratic nomination for mayor,
with the result that the Democratic CITY
committee is more mixed than ever.
Yesterday afternoon a petition asking that
the name OF John w. Hoffman be placed
on the ticket as a candidate for the NOM
nation for mayor was filed with Chairman
Tanning. When i-nterrogated about the
matter Mr.. Tanning. who has persistently
declined 10 make public any OF the petit
ions that have been flied with him, stated
that he wished TO be consistent in his con-
duct, and declined TO admit or deny that
the petition had been fled.
The petitioners. however. anticipating
that Farming would decline to make Holtz-
mans candidacy public. furnished carbon
copies of the original petition TO the news
papers. The petition is signed by ten Of
the most prominent Democratic business
men in the city. None of them is known
10 be connected with the Taggart machine,
and all of them possess a clean political
reputation. The petition contains the
names of John w. Minor. secretary of the
Sentinel Printing Company: Christian or,
the head of the firm of Christian of & Co,
timers and r~oofers.; DIR. r. J. Brennan;
John Rauch, cigar manufacturer, on West
New York street; J. a. Rink, cloak manu-
facturer: Gustave w. Kevers, OF the firm
Of Fertig & Kevers; G.. III. Carter. of the
firm of Carter. Lee & Co.. dealers in lum-
Der; Thomas A. Afford. manager of a cigar
house on South Meridian street; Dennis
Egan. a horseshoer on North Delaware
street, and Willard Robertson, attorney,
with offices in the Lemcke building.
AN ANTI-APPEL MOVE.
All of the men who AVE signed Holtz-
mans petition are said to be strongly OPP
posed 10 the candidacy of John j. Appel,
but it is said they would have been satisfied
with Joseph f.. Bell. The real object OF the
Hoffman petition is for the express pur-
pose Of defeating Appel at the primaries
i'm the event that he should be a candidate.
The Hoffman Democrats maintain that
in filing the Hoffman petition they have
put the quietus to a scheme whereby Appel
was to obtain the nomination without any
difficulty. Since the time that the Demo-
cratic city Stampeded on account
OF the reports of Bells unpopularity and
rushed pellmell. to John Appel as a rock
of safety IL has not given up hopes mat
Appel would ultimately accede TO the clam
OF and become a candidate. 1t is said that
Mr.. Appel has at various times partially
promised 10 be a candidate, but owing TO
his timidity the possibility of his defeat
has kept him, so far, from committing
himself. OF late Mr.. Appel has become APP
prised of the fact that there is a strong
party opposition to his nomination. He
also learned that unless the party man
ayers turned him down and made good
their original intention of nominating Mr..
Bell that the name of John Hoffman
would keep him company on the ticket.
These facts are said TO have so fright
ened Mr.. Appel that he went to Chairman
Tanning and declared that he would not
be "A candidate under any conditions. Mr..
Tanning, who saw his hopes slipping away
| from him. is said To have devised "A scheme
on the spot whereby a petition with Appels
name was to be filed with him and kept
sub rosa until the 10th of the month, when
IL would be too late for the Hoffman peo-
pie TO file a petition for their candidate.
Mr.. Appel is said to have agreed to the
plan and to have promised to become a
candidate provided the Hoffman people
did not get on TO the scheme and file an
other petition.
MR.. APPEL MORE POSITIVE.
The Hoffman people somehow learned
| Of the scheme and think they nave sue
cessfully headed it off by filing their pc
tition. The petition was filed yesterday
afternoon and within a short time after
wards Mr.. Appel was in close consultation
with Chairman Tanning at the city head
quarters. 1t IS presumed that Mr.. Tanning
acquainted him with the move that had
been made. for when Mr.. Appel came out
OF the headquarters he was more positive
than ever that he would not be a candi-
date. He said that he had been informed
that a petition had been prepared with
his name upon IL. but that he had sue
cessfully headed IL off. Il am not a candi-
date. and don't want the nomination" said
Mr.. Appel. but I don't like TO put my
self In the attitude OF saying that / won't
! take Il II IL Is given TO me-"
John " Holtzman's boom for the NOM
nation has been growing for the last week,
and the general opinion among Democrats
not connected with the machine is that he
Is the strongest man that the Democrats
| could nominate. He would not only get the
vote of the solid business men. they say.
but the workers of the party would go out
and hustle for him almost. III not quite, as
hard as they would for Taggart
Mr.. Holtzman is away from the city at
present.