The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-30
THE DRIFT OF POLITICS.

terday on his way to Connersville, where
he will deliver the Decoration day address
to-day, and he did not deny the soft i'm
parchment. although he very diplomatic
ally avoided committing himself.
II am inclined to think that the race for
Governor is an open one yet" was his in
direct answer to the direct question as TO
whether he would be a candidate.
So far as is known at present Mr.. Hunt
would not be handicapped in the race by
any other candidates for state Office from
the Eighth district, although Senator Wal
ter l.. Bell, of Muncie, has been spoken of
as a possible aspirant for lieutenant gov
ernor. The Eighth is one of the largest
districts in the State, in number of dele
gates to the state convention, and that ii Is
a power was shown by Governor Durbin's
notable victory in the convention of 1900.
With only one candidate from the district
next year that one should have an even
break in the getaway, with a good chance
of landing under the wire a winner.
Mr.. Hunt is not the only former state
officer who has his eyes on the chief execu-
tive's chair. W. L. Taylor. who retired
from the attorney generals Office at the
same time Mr.. Hunt turned over the port
AciAO VI JIG VI ceaNs "HA
candidate, and Lieutenant Governor New
ton W.. Gilbert, of Fort Wayne, is under
stood to be laying his plans to enter the
contest.
whats all this I hear about Dan Storms
and his new automobiles" asked Mr.. Hunt,
gently but firmly changing the subject aft
er he had given his evasive answer to the
governorship question.
Mr.. Hunt was informed hat his sue
cessor has a severe attack of chauffeuritis
and was advised to go around to the State
house and get an invitation to go teuff-
,eufiing.
IT don't know about that" he replied
doubtfully. "I carry a pretty heavy acct
dent policy, but I'm not quite ready to have
my wife collect it yet, and from I
hear of Dan as a chauffeur I think it would
be the wise thing to steer clear of him un-
til he has passed the crisis of the fever"
Julian D.. Hogate, of Danville, a we'll
known editor and member of the Republican
state committee from the Fifth district, was
in the city yesterday afternoon, and an
nohnced that he will be a candidate for re-
election as district committeeman.
Yes" he said, in answer to a question
concerning his intentions, Il shall be a
candidate. / should like to serve on the
state committee through a national cam
paign."
Mr.. Hogate has been one of the active
Republican workers of his district for years,
and his services as chairman during the
last campaign were so satisfactory that
there has been no talk of opposition to his
reelection.
Louis Hartman. of New Albany, a prom
ipapf ynfllar and npa Of the vvoq II hipSf Citi-
zens Of Floyd county, was here yesterday,
and called at the office of Senator Bever-
idge. Mr.. Hartman is an enthusiastic ad-
mirer of the junior senator-so enthusiastic,
in fact, that he promised last evening that
Floyd county will send a Republican rep
resentative to the State Legislature in 1905
to vote for Mr.. Beverage. He has the repu-
tation of always making good his promises.
and If he goes into the next campaign in
dead earnest the Democrats will nave to
look to their laurels. for he is regarded as
a power in Floyd county, and throughout
the southern part OF the State, for that
matter. 1t was largely due to Mr.: Hart
present postmaster of New Albany, was
elected to the Legislature in 1886, the only
Republican representative Floyd county
has ever had.
1--WE had a great fight that year." said
Mr.. Hartman last evening. in recalling the
struggle. For six weeks before the cleo
ton We worked day and night, and l think /
visited personally almost every voter in the
county in a house-to-house canvass. We
had no trouble in getting the voters out to
Cleveland times. when hundreds of men
were idle in every city OF any size, and the
result Of our fight was that. while Cleve-
land had carried the county by LOO, Nc
Kinley carried it by over 900."
Mr.. Hartman was also largely instru-
mental in dominating Judge Alexander
Supreme Court from the Second judicial
district, and, indeed, his record has been
that when he has gone into a political fight
heart and soul he has come out on top of the
heap.
Mr. Hartman says there is not much polit-
ical activity in his community at present,
but in a business way New Albany Is max
and making substantial public and private
Improvements. He was interested in learn
ing yesterday that the full text of the deci-
Watts and Sachs contempt case sustains
Judge Anderson in all the legal points in
volved in the controversy and reverses his
decision only on the question of the intent
Anderson in a different light than the first
dispatches sent out from Washington indi-
Gated" he said, land / shall take partic-
ular pains to see that the real facts in the
case are made known to the people in our
part of the State"
1ut OellOCTdtlC pOlltlCdl pot In the
Fourth district is beginning to boil right
merrily. Congressional candidates are
springing up all over the district like mush-
rooms after a May shower until they have
become so numerous that Representative
Francis Marion Griffith, Of Vevay, cannot
turn around without humping into a for
midable antagonist, and 1t is said that he
has not the temerity to venture beyond
the confines of Switzerland county. A new
candidate for Griffth's seat in Congress
of L. Ert Slack, OF Franklin, and, as he
very truthfully said. the man who is nom
mated by the Fourth district Democrats
next year will know after it is over that
there has been a fight"
81 am not ready to make a formal an
n-ouncement," said Slack, but my inclina-
ton is to be a candidate. / think now that
I shall enter the race"
To the casual reader 1t may appear that
the well-known young Democrat from
Johnson county makes a distinction with
out a difference between a formal an
n~ouncement" and the statement quoted,
but 1t may be that he does not desire to
burn all his bridges behind him thus early
in the campaign and wishes to leave a safe
strategic move becomes advisable. How
ever, Slack is not of the retreating kind.
He is a fighter, and once he has SHE'D his
castor into the ring the chances are he will
be there until the last count.
Slack has won his spurs in the last two
sessions of the Legislature as the repre-
sentative from Johnson county. During
leader and received the complimentary vote
of his colleagues for speaker. and during