The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-07-30
First Distinguished Himself by Taking 3
Nomination No Other Democrat
Thought Worth Having.
Then Carried Benjamin Harrison's Own
County Against Him in 1883 to
Everybody's Amazement.

Indiana Democrats think we'll of
Taggart. They saw no harm in placing
him before the country as candidate
for the place, and they indorsed him at
their state convention in May, after
solid Parker delegation, under Tag
gart's leadership, had been selected.
Taggart went to st. Louis still saying
that if the committee and the candi-
date wanted him he was ready to
serve. There was caucus of the COM
mittee on the Sunday after the ticket
had been completed. Taggart was
unanimously indorsed, and it is the ex-
pectation, now that the air has been
cleared by the supposed final declara-
ton of German, the withdrawal of Bel
mont and the refusal of Sheehan to be
considered, that the committee, when
it meets tomorrow will uphold it's eau
Gus selection and name Taggart.
Taggart is real Irishman. He has
deep blue eyes, light hair, a blond
mustache and cheeks as rosy as those
OF girl. He is five feet nine inches
tall, broad-shouldered, with waist
kept down to trimness by constant out
door exercise. He shakes hands like
Mckinley used to. His hand is large
and muscular and it's grasp is warm
and lingering. He is crack shot,
good horseback rider, pulls an excellent
oar, likes to smoke cigar, takes a
drink when he wants one, plays a lit
tie poker with his friends and is big,
red-blooded, vigorous manly man, who
greets his friends with "Good MORN
ing, brother"
He was born in Waterford, Ireland,
on November II, 1856. His father emf
grated to this country when Taggart
was child. The family settled in
Aenia, Ohio. Later they moved to
Garret, Indiana. Taggart had such
education as he could get in the coun-
try schools. He was forced to 20 to
work when he was Is, and when he
was II he got his job in the lunch
counter in the Indianapolis station. He
walked there from Garret.
Taggart cut sandwiches and was the
general handy man in the restaurant
until he was 21. He made friends
with the travelling men and with the
indianapolis people. AS soon as he
could vote, and probably before, he
went into ward politics. In the mean
time the lunch counter had expanded
and become restaurant, and Taggart
was placed in charge. He was q good
restaurant man., and he was rap.
idly becoming known in Democratic
politics in the city.
A few years later, early in the SOS,
he secured some backing and bought q
small hotel near the station. He kept
a good hotel. Many Of his friends
among the travelling men stopped with
him. He was making little money
and was all the time cultivating his
political fortunes. The best office in
Indiana at that time was the auditor
ship Of Marion county, in which Indian
apolis was situated. The fees of the
place amounted to about $4,000 a
year.
Marion county had been Republican
since 1860. There was Democratic
organization, electing a few aldermen
from time to time, but Democratic sue
cesses on the county ticket were rare.
In 1886 there was nomination for the
authorship to be decided upon. No
Democrat Of any consequence in the
county would look at it. There ap-
peared to be no chance for the nominee.
The convention met, and Thomas Tag
gart, the young Democrat who kept a
hotel, said he would take the nomina-
tion If nobody else wanted it. Indeed,
he had planned to get it some months
ahead, and had a lot of delegates ready
to vote for him.
"Let him have it," said the leaders.
1T is better that he should be defeated
than one of u.s."
Taggart was nominated unanimous
ly. Then the Republican papers in the
city poked fun at the young Irishnan,
who was sure to be beaten, and the