The Indianapolis journal., 1903-07-22
The Reason for His Activity Is Found
in the Declaration that He Has
High Ambitions.
AFTER 7. -TAGGART'S PLACE
HE WANTS TO BE NATIONAL CON-
MITTEEMAN FOR INDIANA.
James Leroy Reach Overcomes His
Peevishness, but Refuses to Give
the Journal Desired Information.

To the overwhelming ambition of John
r. Wilson to wrest the position as the In
diana Democratic national committeeman
from Thomas Taggart, and to cut a figure
in national politics the real power in the
party in this State, may be ascribed the
situation in the present Democratic munich
pal campaign that is waxing fast and furi-
Gus. To accomplish his purpose Mr. Will
son. made his first move to gain control of
the party machinery in Indianapolis and
Marion county. If he can control the
Marion county delegation in the next state
convention he can with reason hope to die
tate the men the Indiana Democracy will
send to the next national convention, and
if he can do this. of course he can be made
national committeeman to succeed Mr.. Tag
CART. Thus. with a meteoric rush, he ex-
poets to land on top of the heap in Indiana.
a position from which he hopes to ascend to
still greater heights.
Mr.. Wilson's first move in this game was
to bring out James Leroy Keach for chair
man of the Democratic city committee. He
was successful. Now, under his direction.
Mr.. Reach is building him a machine that
will be the strongest organization ever
formed in political party I'm Indiana.
The machine will nominate John w. Holtz-
man for mayor. Then it will be a COM
paratively easy matter to extend the ma
chine to the county. The State Is a larger
problem, but the element that is at present
in control of the State organization is in
sympathy with the Wilson following. and
it should not be a difficult matter to over
come the opposition that the Bryanites and
the Indiana Jefferson League will put up.
KEACH'S BACKERS
This information does not come from Mr..
Wilson. nor from Mr.. Reach, it is needless
to state. but there is abundant evidence to
substantiate it. 1t has been known for
some time that Mr.. Wilson and Sterling r
Holt were two of the strongest hackers
of Reach. 1t is not reasonable to conclude
that their interest in Keach was wholly
unselfish Mr.. Wilson is in close touch
with Eastern Democrats the element i'm
the party known as the "reorganizers. -
He is one of the Indianapolis Democrats
who could not indorse Bryan and the Chi
cago and Kansas City platforms and there
were about 500 others like him whom the
nrst-last-and-all-the time Democrats desig-
nate as the bolters. The boilers are not
in the majority in Indiana. but they are
displaying surprising strength i'm controlling
the party machinery. and may be able to
deliver Indiana to the ''reorganizers" i'm the
approaching national convention.
The Sentinel and the News are en- ram
port with this movement it is pointed out
by Democrats who profess to see which
way the wind is blowing The animus of
the News is two-fold-to assist the .'reor-
ganzers'' in gaining control of the party
in the State and in the country as a whole.
and to defeat Mayor Bookwalter for re-
election.
A Democrat who is neither a Keach-
Holtzman nor a Mccullough Democrat-just
plain Democrat-in discussing the situa-
tion said last night
1T is very plain how this thing has been
framed up. The boilers stand together as
one man in the deal. The leaders have
other things in common besides political
beliefs. There's John X. Wilson and Louis
Rowland. one of the editors of the News,
and Jake Dunn. of the Sentinel-they re
thicker than peas in a pod. They're all lit
erary, you know, and they get together up
at the University ClGb. % somewhere else.
and talk about Homer and Dante and a
lot of those fellows who haven't been
running for Office lately. and then they get
around to local affairs and lay their plans
and make their agreements. OF course
the News wants TO beat Bookwalter. It's
in position where it's got to beat him or
its power viii be broken for all time to
come.
KEACH. NOT PEEVISH
The Journal approached Mr.. Car Reach
by long-distance telephone last night as a