The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-04

meeting has been called for Friday morn
ing at IL o'clock at the Grand Hotel, and
ii is regarded as a foregone conclusion that
State Chairman w. II. O'Brien. of Law
renceburg, Will be reelected. No opposi-
ton has developed to him. and Senator S.
B. Fleming. of Fort Wayne, the one mar
who cherishes hostility toward Mr.. O'Brien
and Mr.. Taggart, will not be a member Of
the new committee. Fleming will be sue
ceeded by Andrew Adams, of Columbia
City, who was elected committeeman from
the Twelfth district by Satur-
day. Adams is understood 10 be close TO
Fleming, and, inasmuch as the Fort Wayne
man requested his friends in the convention
10 vote for Adams, it it to be inferred that
the new member from the Twelfth stands
for the same things that Fleming stood for.
However, friends OF Mr.. Taggart claim that
Adams is "A good friend OF the WHY boss
also, and that he Will do nothing 10 nam
per Mr.. Taggart in his plans To land the
national chalrmanship. tIemlng started 10
make wal on Mr.. Iaggart at the last meet
ing of the state committee by refusing 10
vote for the resolution inoorslng Mr.. rag
CARTS candidacy, but strong pressure has
been brought TO bear 10 get the young
leader from Allen county in line.
The strongest argument put To IN
it is said, was the threat that II he con-
tinued 10 stir up trouble within the ranks
of his party other leaders would see that
he received no assistance in his fight on the
Nicholson law. Fleming announced Ia the
Senate at the close of the recent session
of the Legislature, at the time he filed two
voluminous petitions for the repeal OF the
blanket remonstrance provision or the Mich
olson law, that the tight TO wlp from the
statutes of Indiana this measure, that is SO
inimical TO the brewery interests, would
be renewed at the next session. If he con-
tinues this hgnt he must have the support
OF his party leaders,, or he will be unable
to the votes of many members
OF the next General Assembly, consequently
when he received the admonition TO be
good II is understood that he promptly
decided to give heed TO il.
The convention that elected Adams gave
Fleming a strong resolution OF Endorsement
and thanks for his valiant services as DIS
trict chairman in the last campaign.
+
Two Democratic district conventions are
yet to be held, the Tenth and the Ninth,
and there is some little speculation as TO
the chairmen that will be selected. Dan
Simms, of Lafayette, the present chairman
of the Tenth, after saying that he would
not be a candidate for reelection and then
intimating that he might be persuaded to
accept the onerouS responsibilities Tor an
other campaign, has finally come out with
the fat declaration that he will not only not
be a candidate, but that he will not accept
a reelection. With Simms out OF the way
il is generally believed that John b. Faux
ner, of Michigan City, will be chosen as his
successor, although one or two other men
are being mentioned as possibilities.
+ + +
At the love-feast of the Second district
Democrats at Linton Friday night John w.
Kern, of this city, received several latter-
ing intimations that the Democrats in that
meek of the woods would be glad of an
opportunity to support him for the guber-
material nomination again this year. Several
of the speakers mentioned Mr.. Kern in a
complimentary way and representative
Robert w. MierS, of Bloomington, was espe-
cially outspoken in praise OF our able and
brilliant leader and standard bearer in the
campaign OF 1900
Mr.. Kern has never said that he would
not accept the nomination again, nor that
he would not be a candidate for 1t, and 1T
is not at all improbable that by the time
the Democratic convention is held he will
permit his friends TO put him forward for
the first place on the State ticket. A close
friend of his says that the Democratic
State convention will be held of until the
last possible minute and that Mr.. Kern Will
take a close survey of the situation. If he
thinks there is a chance for carrying the
State he will ask the nomination, but he
does not propose TO lead any more f0rlOrn
hopes.
Mr.. Kern, by the way, is being criticised
by some of the party leaders for the senti-
ments he expressed in his speech at Lin
ton. They say that MI. Kern assumed an
attitude which, if approved by any consid-
cradle element in the party, will e~ffectually
drive away from the party the only source
of real strength that can be hoped for in
the coming campaign-the conservative
financial and business interests of the coun-
try. Mr.. Kern declared in unmistakable
terms that the Democratic party, in Sc
lecting candidates and enunciating a plat
form for the approaching national cam
paign, should not make the slightest con-
cpSSiOn To the money interests in order to
gain the support and material assistance of
those interests. His conviction was that
the party should stand unqualihedly by the
platforms of 1896 and 1900. that matches
leader, William Jennings Bryan" and the
great Jeffersonian principle OF equal and
exact justice to all, and special and ex-
elusive. privileges to none" The party
leaders, who have visions of a fat campaign
fund for the coming fight view with alarm
such sentiments as those expressed by Mr.,
Kern, and do not want them disseminated.
Senator Cyrus Z. Davis, of Bloomfield.
took substantially the same attitude as
that of Mr.. Kern, and, in fact, the spirit
of Bryan and Organism pervaded the en-
tire love-feast. Even representative Miers,
who never did incline strongly toward the
Nebraskan, found it incumbent upon him
in such a gathering to speak a good WORD
for the candidate of 1896 and 1900.
Newspapers, in handling conventions, ban
quets and similar events, frequently ''antici.
pate the programme in their reports, the
accounts being written in the past tense be-
fore the events occur, and sometimes, OF
course, make breaks, an unexpected happen.
ing materially changing the programme
However, such breaks are infrequent, anC
very rarely, indeed, is one made that is Sc
amusing as one in an Indiana papers ac
count of the Democratic love-feast at Lin.
ton. The venerable Uncle Andy" Hum,
phreys was scheduled to be the toastmastel
at the banquet. and, as he is highly regard
ed by his fellow-partisans, he was TO b,
made the subject OF several eulogistic ut
terances, the climax of which was 10 com,
when William A. Slinkard, Of Bloomfield
would read an original poem dedicated e
"Uncle Andy" So much for the pro.
ramm upon which the dispatches TO out
side papers were based, but when IL cam,
to the banquet it might have been hkened I,
} ami with the ghost left out. fol
Uncle Andy" was not there. A hitch il
the arrangements delayed the banquet e
such an hour that the octogenarian found /
necessary to return TO his home accom-
panied by the hearty good wishes OF his fel
low-Democrats. That was something which
the correspondents had not anticipated, ant
all of them, the Journals correspondent IN
cIuded. made the mistake of saving tina.
Mr.. Humphreys presided as POSTMASTER, bu
the correspondent of a paper i'm anothel
city went a step farther. He not only ha,
Mr.. Humphreys presiding as POSTMASTER
but had him shedding tears at the unex
pected tribute in the poem OF Mr.. Slinkard
MIR. Slinkard read his poem, but at the'tim,
he read it, about $3.50 o'clock in the morn
ing, Mr.. Humphreys had been at home ans
i'm bed for some six or seven hours.
The Linton meeting, by the way, brough
out two or three new stories on 'Uncl,