The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-16
He Is Now Preparing His Manuscript
and Will First Read Ii to the
Party Managers.
KEACH IS BADLY WORRIED
DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMAN CANNOT IN
DERsTAND THIRTY-DAY POLL.
Large Falling on Since the Previous
Poll Was Taken-Precinct Meet
ings Held in Saloons.

Democratic City Chairman James l..
Reach announced last night that the Dem
ocrats will open their speaking campaign
next Tuesday night and that the first meet
ing will in all probability be held in the
Eighth ward.
I'VE want to open in the Eighth he
said, but / am a little bit worried for
fear we cannot secure a hall large enough
TO accommodate the crowd that will turn
out"
Mr.. Reach smiled ingenuousIy and audbly
as he made this statement, but he insisted
that he expected to be taken seriously and
that he anticipated a great outpouring of
the people Of the city next Tuesday night
TO hear his candidates keynote. Mr.. Holtz-
man is busily engaged in preparing his
speech this week and expects to have it
completed by Saturday night. Sunday aft
ernoon he will try 1t on a dog" as they
say In the dramatic world That is. he
will read 1T to number of the Democratic
managers, who want to know what he will
say in his opening appeal for votes and
who purpose to exercise rigid censorship
and see that he doesn't say anything that
should be left unsaid. The greater part
OF his speech, it is understood, will be de-
voted to a reply to Mayor Bookwalter's
address. and, indeed, he will devote prac-
tically all his attention 10 the mayor, for
his slogan is to be "Decency ana Honesty
as against Bookwalterism."
Men who approached Chairman Reach
yesterday when he did not have on the
front" which he put up for reporters de-
clare that the boss was greatly excited,
his perturbation being due to the discOm-
fitting showing made by the Democratic
thirty-day poll. 1t is intimated from re-
liable Democratic sources that the latest
poll is anything but reassuring to the party
managers, and that, in fact, heavy losses
are shown in almost every precinct. Hun
dreds OF men who indicated thirty days
ago that they would support Hoffman have
changed their minds and now stand either
for Bookwalter or for HitZ. The figures
are said to be such as to convince Reach
that he is heading hopeless fight and that
ne Is beaten already, and badly beaten at
that, unless some tremendous upheaval oc
ours between now and election.
Last evening, for the first time since the
city convention, Reach seemed TO have lost
little or his confidence, and alfhougb he
endeavored to laugh it off when he was
the thirty-day poll, he was manifestly less
at ease In his assertions.
That the Democratic managers are con-
cerned over the poll was shown by the fact
that meetings of the precinct executive
committees were suddenly called for last
evening all over the city. At these meet
fngs. ii is said il was made plain to the
workers that something is going wrong and
that every man must knuckle down TO work
TO regain the lost ground as well as to make
further gains If the success of the ticket
is to be hoped for.
A number OF these meetings, by the way,
were held in saloons, which is a matter of
interest to the better element to which
the Democratic managers are making such
loud appeals. In the Eleventh ward one
meeting was held at 9f7 Fletcher avenue. in
the salOon conducted by w. ID. Dalton
The last meeting in that precinct was held
week ago Sunday at the same place
a significant statement was made day
~ kw.rA ain hr Of h
to ar out-of-town Republican. In discuss
ing the local campaign and the relative
chances OF success OF the various candi-
dates the Hitz man declared:
'.Holtzman cannot be elected. Why, if
only Democrats were allowed to vote in
the election he would be defeated by good
plurality