The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-08
THE DRIFT OF POLITICS.

HepuDncan state headquarters Will be
| opened to-day on the sixth floor of the
| Stevenson building. in a suite of three
rooms. with the entrance through No. COZ.
| There has been no announcement for
| months of as much interest to Republicans
| In all parts Of the State as the announce
ment of this change, which was given out
| by the state committee last week. The
headquarters very naturally constitute the
Mecca of all active members of the party
| when they come TO the capital city, and for
| several years they have been accustomed
to wend their way to the Majestic building,
on South Pennsylvania street. The change
| may cause some confusion at first but it is
made far in advance of the real activity of
the campaign, when visitors pour in by the
score every day. and Republicans will have
ample time to adjust themselves to the new
order of things.
Politicians are quite~as superstitious as.
the average run of human kind, and there
will doubtless be some who will look on the
| moving of headquarters as bad omen, but
| such fears are groundless. for the change
| to the Majestic building Was followed by
| series OF remarkably successful campaigns,
and the first fight conducted from the Stew
enson building should mark the beginning
| OF still more fortunate era.
\
George Lilly, of Anderson. member of the
Republican state committee from the
Eighth district, will be a candidate to sue
coed himself. 1t has been generally under
| stood that Mr.. Lilly would seek a re-elec-
ton, but he had made no announcement
until yesterday, when he confirmed the re-
port. He was in the city over Sunday, and
while here talked with a Journal repre-
| sentative concerning Eighth district
| fairs.
"There has been little political activity"
he said, ''or even little political gossip that
l have heard, but l suppose that pot will
| begin to boil now before long. The district
! is in good shape, and when the time comes
| the Republicans will enter the campaign
with their usual zeal that will bring about
| the usual good results. So far candi-
dates are concerned, 1 have heard little
talk. l am inclined to believe now that
| Representative Cromer will be renominated
| is early as yet, and two or three candidates
may come out against him. Mr.. Cromer
has made the district an excellent repre-
| sentative. He is one of the hardest work.
| there is nothing spectacular about his
methods. he has been able to accomplish
| great deal for his constituents"
Even if Mr.. Lilly were inclined to retire
| from the state committee, it is doubtful II
| the Republicans of the district could be
! persuaded to consent, for the Eighth has
never had a more popular or n more salts
| factory chairman than he has made. He Is
| a splendid organizer, man of fine execu-
| political work all the qualities that go to
| make successful business man, conse-
| quently his services are unusually valuable
to the party. There has never been sug-
| gestion of opposition to him, but on the
| contrary, the leading Republicans of the
| Eighth have taken 1t as matter of course
| that he would stay at the head of the dis
| trict organization.
| Senator Beveridge returned yesterday
| from Washington, where he accompanied
the President and his party the special
train that passed through indianapolis last
Thursday night. The senator expects to be
| in the city all this week and, as has been
| the case for the past two months, his Of
fee will probably be the rendezvous of
| hosts Of his friends from different parts of
the State.
1.-THE people of New Albany are all stirred
up again over the police board row." said
| DR.. A. p. Hauss, of that city, at the Clay
pool last evening. 1.-THE retirement of Nc
| Culloch and Steinhaur at the request of the
| Governor came as a great surprise to mo-
of our people. it thought they were
| satisfactory commissioners, McCulloch es-
pecialy was looked on as a good man and
| his friends are inclined to criticise his re-
| moval. L understand there a good deal
of friction in the board and that the lack
| OF harmony was the principal cause of the
| trouble. Police affairs have been the prin-
cipal topic of conversation in New Albany
| for some time now, and / suppose there will
be little else talked about for week or
| two"
| In view of the unexpected dilemma in
which the Pigeon Roost Monument Com
| mission has found itself-with money to
spend for monument but no place on
| which to erect the shaft-it has been sug-
gested that State Senator James w. For
tune, of Jacksonville, who was largely re-
sponsible for the creation of the commits
sion and is himself member Of it, will
not be doing the right thing by his fellow
members, his constituents and the memory
of the pioneer heroes unless he finds means
of relieving the situation. 1t is understood
he contemplates leaving the Legislature
and possibly entering wider fields of politi-
cal activity, but such course is not re-
garded as the most advisable one under the
circumstances. The land lies this way: Sem
ator Fortune. inspired by the wishes of his
constituents and by patriotic motives that
ed early and late during the last session of
the Legislature to get a bill through APP
propriating 5000 for the erection OF a monu-
massacred at Pigeon Roost Settlement ear
ly In the last century, the graves being sup
posed to lie in country churchyard in
|
Governor appointed the commission and
then the discovery was made that the
graves are not in the cemetery, but in an
adjacent field, the owners of which demand
$500 for three acres for the erection of the
monument The law provides explicitly that
the shaft shall be placed above the graves,
but the commission is not empowered to
purchase land, and there you are.
The problem was being discussed in the
Governors Office at the Statehouse Satur-
day evening when one of the party made q
happy suggestion. 1T is clearly up to Jim
Fortune to find a way out of the entangle-
ment," he said, land think it is his duty
to get himself reelected to the Senate so
he can secure additional remedial legisla-
ton. AS / understand ii the location of the
graves is more or less of myth and tradi-
ton, and Jim might get bill passed en-
titled "A bill for an act creating, locating,
designating and establishing the graves of
the pioneer heroes massacred at Pigeon
! Roost, and declaring emergency Under
the provisions of such bill he could To-
cate the graves where IL would best suit
the convenience of the commission. He
might even put them on the new State for
estry reserve, so that the custodian could
look after the monument we'll as the
two thousand-odd acres OF timber Ii he
made his campaign for denomination and
reelection on this issue he would certainly
| meet with no opposition, and l believe IT'S
the only thing for him to do
1.-THE retail merchants of Indiana have
by no means forgotten the eefeat of the