The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-01
THE DRIFT OF POLITICS

The Democrats of Indiana held a number
of district conventions yesterday to elect
members of the State committee. The sig
nifcant developments attending the various
conventions were:
The certain retirement Of Francis Marion
Griffiths, Of Vevay. member of Congress
from the Fourth district. TO be succeeded
by Lincoln Dixon, of North Vernon.
The probable retirement of w. I. Zenor,
of CorydOn, member Of Congress from the
Second district, to be succeeded by w. l..
The continued domination of the State
organization by the machine OF Thomas
Taggart and Senator w. H. O'Brien, OF
Lawrenceburg, who will in all probability
be reelected State chairman.
The announcement OF Crawford Fair
banks, the millionaire brewer OF Terre
Haute, that ne considers that Mayor John
w. Hoffman,, of this city, would make the
best gubernatOrial candidate that the Dem
ocrats of Indiana could name.
The evidence that Thomas Taggart. who
hopes to become the Democratic national
chairman, is lining up the State for Judge
Parker, of New York, for the presidential
nomination.
The Fourth district convention was held
at North Vernon. Lincoln Dixon, the pres
ent State committeeman, was reelected
by reclamation, and Immediately after the
convention Representative Griffith author
lied the announcement in the Democratic
papers throughout the district that he
would not be a candidate for denomination.
z. II. Mccormack, of Columbus, Joseph II.
Shea, of Seymour, and l.. Ert Slack. Of
Franklin, who nave been considered pros
pective congressional candidates., also made
announcements that they would not seek
the nomination, and this leaves a clear
field for Lincoln Dixon, who is understood
10 be Grifith's legatee and the choice of
State Chairman O'Brlen, OF Lawrenceburg,
the most potential factor in the district.
1t was reported several months ago that
under an agreement entered into by them
two years ago Representative Griffith
would not be a candidate to succeed HIM
self, but would throw his support to Dix
on. This story was vigorously denied and
Griffith permitted the impression TO go out
that he would ask a denomination. This
was evidently a part OF the game-Griff1th
was 10 stay in the field, ostensibly, until
the district could be fixed for Dixon, and
then he was to withdraw when ii would
be too late for any other candidate to come
out and develop sufficient strength to wor-
ry the North Vernon man.
In announcing his retirement Griffith
stated TO his friends that he had had
enough of Congress. His family had found
the migratory life between Indiana and
Washington inconvenient, to say the least,
his salary barely paid his necessary ex-
penses and he had found that he was not
getting on in the world. Under the cir
cumstances he felt il to be his duty to his
family and to himself TO retire.
+
The Third districts convention was held
at New Albany and the election of a dis
trict chairman signalized the defeat of Rep
resentative w. 7. Zenor and presaged his re-
tirement to private life after his present
term in Congress expires. Zenor, however,
is not retiring voluntarily. He has been
feeding at the public crib. in one office or
another, for the past quarter of a century,
and he could not give 1T up without a strug-
gle. He endeavored TO elect Prof. Levi Scott,
of New Albany, district chairman, but he
could only muster ~ffty-four and one-half
votes, TO sixty-four and 0ne-half that were
cast for Thomas Hanlon, of New Albany.
who was the candidate of w. E. Cox, OF
Jasper, who set out several months ago TO
force ZenOr out of Congress.
Cox is now in control of the district and
it is improbable that he will lose any
strength before the congressional conven-
ton. Consequently his nomination to sue
coed Zenor is practically assured.
The continued domination of the Demo-
cratic State organization by Taggart and
O'Brien is assured. because out Of the ten
members of the State committee that have
been chosen eight are old members, thus
giving them more than a majority Of the
committee, with a chance of getting two or
three out of the other five. In fact, it is
not sure that a single one of the ten now
elected is hostile to them. The old members
reelected are Gilbert Hendren, of the
Second; Lincoln Dixon, of the Fourth; ]. G..
McNutt, of the Fifth; j. d. Mcgee, of the
Sixth; Joseph 7. Tanning, of the Seventh;
]. A. Adair, of the Eighth; J.. Fred France,
of the Eleventh, and j. c. Fletcher, of the
Thirteenth. The election will be held in
the Ninth on Jan. 9, in the Tenth Jan. z,
and in the Twelfth Jan. 2.
The election in the First district resulted
in a surprise-the selection of a man whose
name had not even been mentioned in con-