Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-27

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The campaign in Indiana, one of the Inn
is peculiar in that the state leader of the
republican party Is it's vice presidential
candidate and his opponent Is the chairman
Of the democratic national committee. and
hence the party's. national as well as state
manager.
Two men more Numerically opposite in
personality could scarcely be found in poll
tics than Charles W. Fairbanks and Thoma 8
s. Taggart.
Mr.. Fairbanks is the embodiment Of dig
nifty and grace at all times except when ne
is sitting down. when his long legs. drawn
up toward his chin, make you think OF
big jack knife half closed: and when he
passes along the street all Indianapolis
politely says, How do you do, senators!
Mr.. Taggart hardly knows that there is
such a thing as dignity, or grace either. for
that matter. His hat Is usually on the
back of his head almost any citizen OF In
dianapolis can tell of slaps on the back
and pokes in the ribs given him by the
democratic manager, and his "Howdy'
Bill?' Is met with Hello, Toni!
The senator has never been heard TO make
a joke in the course OF poHtical speecH.
Mr.. -Taggart not only Jokes In pohecs. nue
is noted as the greatest wag OF taet CITY,
and his friends are continually being macs
the butts of his more or less practical Jokes.
Mr.. Fairbanks. in a conversation not Ions
ago declared that politics was 1ar TOO SER
Gus a matter to transform into a JOKE.
1.-The people want facts, not stories, no
said. ."They may laugh at the story, anu
you may think you've made NIL, OUT J.. 10
nv firm belief that when they come 10 vote
they will vote for the ticket whose speaker
I,o uiu facts
Likes His Joke.
good Joke to Mr.. Taggart ls as the
breath of life itself; If he plays II, the
premier Joy of the seventh heaven, ana ne
is no respecter of persons when ne Is Out
for amusement. Witness the way he treat
ed Judge James McCabe, the Hearst-boom
manager in the Hoosier state, when ne
tourneyed to Indianapolis to see how his
opponent. Tom Taggart was getting on.
Mr.. Taggart walked up to the JudSe IN
hotel corridor, greeted him effusively, ana
while talking with him expcrtly hfted
the judges fine diamond Stuck pm. linen ne
turned the conversation.
Judge" said he, Il know you're great
admirer of diamonds. I've pin here I'd
like to show YOU.
But" said the judge, swelling with
pride, I've fine pin myself. fancy you
can't beat it," and he reached for it, to be
COMPOUNDED with dismay the next moment
over It's absence. Mr.. Taggart let the judge
worry all evening before he went up to
him and solemnly stuck the pin back where
it belonged.
Mr. Fairbanks is as careful in speech. in
action, in dress. in thought. in plan as he
is about avoiding what to him is fatal po-
htical ribaldry: Mr.. Taggart seemingly
hates deliberition. Ask him question.
and he answers without apparent weighing
of words. Not so the senator. He hunts
fo1 the reply that will be just right. This
extreme carefulness is one of his distin-
gushing marks, and it has made him the
master of his party in Indiana, from the
precinc+ up, just as surely as Mr.. Taggart's
mere picturesque methods have given him
absolute control of his organization.
Know Their State.
Only in their methods of organization
are the two men anywhere alike. To both
Of them their adopted state is an open
book for constant political study, and
each knows the temperament Of the people
in it's corners as we'll as the centers. Dur
ing the first Bryan campaign, when the
democratic national committee met to hear
reports of the prediction canvass made
by the various state committeeman, Mr.
Taggart lugged before his brethren a good
sized valise with bullying sides.
What is that?' they asked in astonish-
ment.
THAT. gentlemen" was the reply, con-
tains the poll of every election district in
my state"
The precinct is Mr. Fairbanks great
hobby also.
Look after the precincts, and the state
will take care of itself" he tells his lieu
tenants. He knows Indiana's precincts ev-
cry bit as well as Tom Taggart does
He can tell as certainly how this or that
one will go, and if there is a precinct in
the state in which he has not spoken in
one campaign or another nobody knows Of
it The senator is the most interchangeable
no CrYDa In Trli
He holds the record for speeches before
Hoosier audiences, and Mr.. Taggart cam
not make one of his unexpected sallies into
the sycamore groves of the state without
learning that the senator is known there
by reason of some address he made some
time or other to the backwoodsmen.
Rely on Their Aids.
Neither man is domineering Mr. Fair
banks will not recommend a man for any
political preferment who has not the back
ing of his district leader. Mr.. Taggart is
equally soicitous of his lieutenants' feel
ings, consulting them freely. and as is the
case with his opponent, frequently taking
their advice and molding a campaign in
part according to their ideas. Both lead
ers also largely rely on their respective
aids to discover for them what and whom
the people want, and until their reports
come, refrain from coming out for any is
sue or candidate. This is largely the secret
of each mans reputed political sagacftv:
and it was in this fashion that Mr. Fair
banks, in 1896, found out that Indiana
would undoubtedly favor the party declar-
ing for the gold standard. He had already
determined that such plank should be in
the state platform If he could get 1t there:
he redoubled his efforts, and, despite mis-
givings and some opposition on the part of
several prominent politicians, the plank
was inserted as Mr.. Fairbanks had written
it, Indiana being one Of the first states to
declare for gold. The party's candidate for
governor, Mr.. Mount, had not favored the
gold plank, and when the convention was
over, he said to Mr.. Fairbanks: We'll.
we've got a good platform-sll except that
gold plank.
All" said Mr.. Fairbanks confidently.
that plank will prove our sheet anchor
and 1t will make you governor of Indiana -
prophecy which was fulfilled in Noyem-
Der .
Sticklers for Detail.
There Is no detail incident to a campaign
ttat either leader will not take upon him
sen- Both men are sticklers in this par
ticular, and for that reason they are men
nf efyycb bod