Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-05
POLITICS IN INDIANA
Important Democratic Pow
WOW at French Lick.
T. TAGGART'S AMBITION
TO BECOME CHAIRMAN OF DEMO-
CRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE.
Believed That He is Favorable to the
Candidacy Of David B.
Hill.
T. TAGGART'S AMBITION
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

! Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
| INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. July 4. 1902
At French Lick. the famous Ind. ana
| health resort, what probably Is one Of the
| most important councils among democratic
| leaders of this state has Just come to
| close. 1t might be more to the point, in
view of the facts that the last few days
| OF the assembly brought to light, to state
| that the meeting is the most important con-
| ference held in the west in the last two
years. All the democratic editors of In
| diana were present and the dictator. ad-
visor and counselor in all deliberations con
sequent upon the assembly was Democratic
| National Committeeman Thomas Taggart.
the man who is looked upon by the demo-
cratic leaders as the natural democratic
organizer of the west.
The conference, for one thing, deveI oped
| this fact most conspicuously. BY those
| who are members of the Indiana organi-
| Zation of democratic editors and by those
who were not members but whose political
| leadership made their presence necessary,
| every word uttered by the suave Indiana
| leader was dwelt upon with eagerneSS Ar
Taggart had only returned from tho Tilden
| banquet at New York; he was fresh from
conference with Grover Cleveland and
David b. Hin. That report had preceded
| him in the shape Of rumor Mr.. Taggart
| when he arrived confirmed it. This added
TO the Importance of his words and 10 the
weight Of his counsel.
1t was not generally known that Mr.,
Cleveland, Mr.. Hill, Mr.. Taggart and one
or two other democratic leaders Of national
Importance had held such conference-at
least it was not known definitely unit, Mr.
faggart himself admitted the fact and. with
no effort whatever to preserve secrecy de-
clared that at the conference the folIew
ing plans had been drawn up to be pursued
in the next national and Indiana state cam
paign:
Going Back to Platform Of 1884.
1. That these campaigns shall be con-
Quoted along the same lines as those of
1884 and 1855, when the tariff was the ma
tional issue at stake and. locally in Indiana,
! the scandals surrounding the republican ex-
ecutive and legislative bodies were the
| paramount questions under controversy.
| 2. That Grover Cleveland will not under
any circumstances. accept another nomna-
| ton for the presidential candidacy.
3. That Mr.. Cleveland on the contrary.
| will support David B. Hill in particular, or
| any other democratic nominee in general.
| who will stand upon platform such as he
| outlined in his famous Tiiden banquet
speech.
4. That henceforth the friends of David
| B. Hill, under the leadership of Thomas
| Taggart in the west. and under the direc-
| ton and guidance of capable leaders in the
south. will make an effort to become the
| national standard bearer of the demOcra IiC
| party In 1904.
| Then Mr.. Taggart. confidentialIy, to some
| Of the most conspicuous principals of the
democratic party in Indiana, went little
| further. He asserted that the platform
| adopted by the party at its recent state con-
| vention is, almost in it's entirety. acceptable
| to the leaders at large. That is the kind
of platform" Mr.: Taggart said: that the
| national party will adopt"
1nasmuch as the Indiana platform prac-
| tically ignores Bryan. this is looked upon
| with considerable significance by those in
| tlmately acquainted with political happen
| ings in the west Mr.. Taggart continued:
! The national platform said he. must
| contain features dealing with the tariff,
| trusts. the Philippines. the Cuban prob
| lem and the policies adopted along these
| lines by the present administra ton. These
| are all the planks 1t needs. With these in
| serted and good leader there will be no
| use-even if there ever was-for ali the talk
one hears about reorganized democracy
Another thing that the Indiana platform
| convention did which doubtless Mr Tag
| CART Is quite In harmony with was its in
| dorsement Of himself for the national
| Craftsmanship of the democratic party In
| truth 1t was very frankly stated by those
| intimate with the Indiana leader that his
| attendance at the Tilden banquet and his
subsequent conference with Mr.. Cleveland
| and Mr.. Hill had this in view. Mr. Tag
| CART wants the position; he has 3een anx-
lous to obtain the place for the last two
| years. His ambitions have been freely dis
cussed and almost as freely admitted. the
latter, of course. with the diplomatic touch
that has already done SO much toward ele-
waiting the former INDIANAPOLIS mayor ia
| the place he at present occupies in the ma
tional party.
Taggart is for d. B. Hill.
If Mr.. Taggart should be elected to the
national Craftsmanship the democratic
party will be swung for David B. HILL At
any rate. Mr.. Taggart will do all In his
power to guide it in that direction. Then
he will sweep down on Indiana and ne Will
beat the state up and down from Lake
Michigan on the north to the pocket" ON
the south with but one end in view-the
suppression OF every boom launched for
Senator Fairbanks for President. For
with all the favor aroused by President
Roosevelt in Indiana. plans are well under
way to secure for Senator Fairbanks the
next republican presidential nomination
Whether Mr.. Taggart Is acquainted with
the fact or not, the senior Indiana senator
has at his back at his beck and call lined
up Tor him unanimously, willing to conduct
MS campaign for the nomination along
every fighting line laid open the strongest
and most powerful POLITICAL Organization
that the state of Indiana has ever known.
the Indianapolis Columbia Club It's mem
bers have already held meetings at yariOus
times behind closed doors, and the sub
stance or these meetings has been fur
1nerance 10 at least some little extent of
Senator Fairbanks presidential boom
Mr.. Taggart has watched this grow with
a feeling of uneasiness. for the fear has
haunted him that If Senator Fairbanks 10
In the end successful Indiana will be ire.
trievably lost to the democrats for the nex,
six years to come. Therefore Mr.. Targart
is in no mood to permit the FairbsnLs
boom to get too great a lead for his sue
cessful coping with 1t. Were this to occur
the Indiana leader is of the oninion
whether properly so not. that the ma.
tional democratic organization would not
sanction him for national chairman II
would not care to have al it's head a man
who was not pre-eminently powerful and
asserttve in his own state.
The fact also that Mr.. Taggart brought
back with him from the Tiden conference
such definite statements from both Mr.
Hill and Mr.. Cleveland. and such authori-
tative information regarding the cast of
the next national democratic platform has
further maSnified his Importance and the
democrats of Indiana. and. it might be
added. by agreement of Illinois, Colorado
Kentucky and few other southern states
as well. are insistent upon his claims to