The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-24
Nothing That the Mccullough Forces
Can Do To-Day VIII Have Any
Effect on the Result.
KNIVES ARE BEING WHETTED
DEMOCRATS UNWILLING TO BE
DRIVEN WITH THE LASH.
Gar Reach Announces Precinct VOt-
ing Places-DemOcratic Council
manic Primaries.

The climax in the struggle for the Demo-
cratic mayoralty nomination will be
reached to-day. This evening, from 4 until
o'clock, the voters of the party will cast
their ballots for delegates to the convention
tomorrow that will select the Democratic
city ticket Last evening, twenty -four hours
before the close of the fight, the Indicate MS
were that John w. Hoffman will be the
winner of the mayoralty contest.
1t is regarded as extremely doubtful if
anything can be done to-day that will ma
terially affect the result The effective
work has been done to a large extent and
it remains but to harvest the crop from the
seed that has been sown during the past
week or ten days. OF course, it is to be
expected that there will be even greater
activity on the surface to-day than at any
time during the campaign, but that does
not alter the fact that the candidates and
their lieutenants have done practically all
of their real work and that now they are
merely waiting to see how successful they
have been in their plotting and counter
plotting.
The contest has resolved itself into ring
and anti-ring, or machine and anti-machine
fight, in spite of the fact that there are
four candidates for the nomination for
mayor-Holtzman, Mccullough, Madden
and Moore. Hoffman is regarded as the
machine candidate and Mccullough is con-
ceded to be the leading candidate for the
anti-machne forces. Madden and Moore
will be in the race and if they develop ap-
preciable strength and are able to control
Their delegates both on first and second
choice they may be the important factors in
to-morrow's convention. 1t is a foregone
conclusion that they will not exercise what
ever power they may have for Hoffman
in event they see that they have no chance
of success. If they throw their strength to
Mccullough it may mean his nomination; if
they spring a dark horse, presumably
Thomas Taggart, it may mean his nomina-
ton, for it is equally certain that the Nc
Culough forces will do anything to defeat
Hoffman, and if their candidate cannot
win they will join with the other anti-ma-
chine people to beat the Keach-Wilson-
Polster-Holtzman combination.
HOLTZMAN ELEMENT ARROGANT.
Both sides are confident of success, to all
outward appearances at least The Holtz-
man following was even slightly arrogant
in its hopefulness last night The men who
have their hands on the lever, button or
what-not that controls the machine were
boasting that their candidate would win
hands down. They claim Holtzmans nomi-
nation on the first ballot. Holtzman himself
predicted that he would receive at least 300
of the 4OO-odd votes on the first ballot. and
while he was too busy to so into details
TO his reasons for this sumption
he was undoubtedly extremely sanguine of
success
On the other hand, the Mccullough peo-
Pile were positively jubilant, for the first
time In a week. A few days since they
were close -mouthed, serious of men and
apparently in the frame of mind of fighters
who knew they were up against inevitable
defeat but would fight to the bitter end
but they have undergone metamprphosis
and last evening they were actually ra-
diant as they made their claims.
We've got them beat asserted Salem
D. Clarke. mo one who has not been in
our headquarters yesterday and to-day
woulo believe any statement we might make
as 10 the number OF active Democrats who
have come TO US and promised their sup
port at the primary tomorrow and at
the convention on Saturday. These were