The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-07
THE DRIFT OF POLITICS.

indicated a belief that he will not have a
contest for reelection.
AT least / feel that there should be no
opposition to me-" he said. IL served the
party TO the best OF my ability through one
campaign and believe / should receive the
Endorsement OF one PREDICTION, which pre-
cedent as established should be given the
members of the State committee.
Some months ago gave an interview to
the Journal. stating my views on the COM
ing reorganization of the Republican State
committee. Some people In reading it took
1t as indicating opposition 10 Senator Beve-
ridge on my part. Such an impression is
entirely erroneous and l desire TO correct
II. / was in favor of the election of Senator
Beveridge when he was first elected to the
Senate and gave him my earnest support
then as | shall now, and / am in favor of
his unanimous reelection. L do not believe
that there is, will be or should be any OPP
position 10 his unanimous reelection. /
hope this makes my position clear"
XXX
In the interview of some months ago to
which he alludes, Mr.. Woods stated that
he believed the State committee should be
organized in the interests of the party, and
not in the interests of any individual. but
he did not say or intimate that he was
BeVeridge. In fact, the senator's name was
not mentioned. However, some of the sena-
tors friends miscontrued the interview, and
concluding that Mr.. Woods was not friendly
out n candidate for district chairman
against him. Several men were mentioned
as probable candidates against Mr.. Woods,
but the opposition did not crystalline and
doubtless there was more talk than real OPP
position. Since Mr.. Woods has corrected the
erroneous impression that grew out of his
cally his attitude toward Senator Beverage
II is believed that all the talk of opposition
to him will be dissipated.
xxx
Elmer Leonard, OF Fort Wayne, is an
other member of the state committee to be
set right before the public as to his atti-
tude toward Senator Beveridge. Mr.. Leon
ard is a candidate for reelection TO the
craftsmanship in the Twelfth district and
has ENCOUNTERED some opposition. based on
the theory that he was opposed to the
Junior senator. Mr.. Leonard authorizes
the Journal to correct this impression.
II entertain none but the friendliest feel
ings toward Senator Beveridge." said Mr..
Leonard, and am not opposed TO his re-
election. / can recall nothing that i have
said or lone that would warrant the infer
ence that 1 am against the senator. /
there is no talk of that kind in our part of
the State, and I feel sure there will be no
candidate against him when the time
comes for elect1ng MS successor. lie Will
undoubtedly succeed himself.
MY idea of the state is that
IL is an organization to further all the in
terests of the Republican party, and should
The Republicans of the State will elect
their ounty, district and state tickets. the
national ticket will be made, and then the
committee will do its utmost TO elect every
ticket. The committee will endeavor TO
elect a Republican Legislature; the Legis-
lature will elect the United States senator.
The committee will have nothing 10 do with
that. Personally / believe that Senator
Beveridge will receive unanimous re-elec-
tion."
E. A. Remy, editor of the Seymour Re-
publican and one of the active party work
ers of the Fourth district, who was here
yesterday, says that he is giving his at
tention exclusively TO the newspaper bust
ness at present, in an effort to lay up a
little earthly treasure, and that he is not
dipping into politics.
"There's not much politics on now, any
how, so it's not difficult for me to give all
my time to business he said. This is
our breathing time between campaigns, and
I'm trying to make hay while the condi-
tions are propitious. Some little interest is
being taken in the election of a successor
to Oscar Montgomery, as district chairman,
but the contest is by no means exciting.
Springer, will be elected, / believe. He's
the man for the place, experienced and ef-
fcient. and then the claims of our county
cannot we'll be overlooked. bartholomew
has made a great Republican record
x
Few political items have attracted the at
tention and excited the comment that the
dispatches from Muncie to the city papers
yesterday. stating that a mysterious secret
conference of Republican leaders had been
=. - Ty:-L.. II1%1l &, tl.& IA l,,,ro
day forenoon, attracted and excited yester-
day. The dispatches gave as among those
present at the conference Secretary OF
State Daniel E. Storms, State Treasurer
Nat u. Hill, State Auditor David z. Sher-
rick, former Secretary of State Union b.
Hunt, former State Chairman Charles S.
Hernly and j. Frank Hanly, of Lafayette,
one of the candidates for Governor, and
limited that the matter under consideration
was the probable g~ubernatorlal candidacy
of Mr.. Hunt. Politicians who read and
pondered the item went straight up in the
air. when they endeavored to explain the
conference. and one or two men who are
themselves candidates are said to have ex-
perienced severe chills when they consid-
cred the possible dire significance of a Sc
cret meeting of Storms, Hill, Sherrick,
Hunt, Hernly and Hanly. If MI. Hanly
hadn't been there. or If Mr.. Hunt had not
been included in the crowd, the affair would
have admitted of plausible explanation, but
the presence of the two probable rivals for
gubernatorial honors at a conference. the
ostensible purpose of which was to further
the interests of one OF them, baffled the
wisest of the wise ones.
Later developments and more reliable in
formation reveals that the item should be
classed with the important If true" A
meeting was held at the Kirby House, but
only a few of those mentioned were pres
ent, and the object was anything but polit-
zeal. Mr.. Hunt was at the Denison last
night and FASTENED to set the matter
straight.
"a few of us who are interested in a bust
ness deal, the nature of which we are not
Mt liberty TO make public for the present,
met i'm Muncie,'' said Mr.. Hunt, but for
goodness sake correct the report that there
was politics in the meeting. The stories
sent out from Muncie could not have shot
wider of the mark. In the first place, only
three or four of those mentioned in the dis
patches were there. Nat Hill, Dave Sher-
rick and Frank Hanly were not there and
Charley Hernly and / were there, but out
of the dozen men at the meeting we were
about the only ones who take much interest
in politics. Some of those there were Dem
ocrats. 1t was purely a business PROPOSE
ton. / think the reporter who wrote the
story must have copied Il list of names from
the hotel register and included them all in
the crowd and then have drawn his W
conclusions. for several names in the list
published were of men whom l do not know
at ALL"
]. Frank Hanly, of Lafayette. was at the
Claypool last evening, and from the mo-
ment he arrived in the city was assailed on
all sides with inquiries as to the Muncie
meeting and the meaning of his presence
there.