The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1904-07-26
SKETCH OF
TAGGART
How the Young Irish Boy Developed
Into the Chairman Of the
Democracy.

JSai . dBo WHICH TIC girls III the luilCH
counter at the Indianapolis railroad
station said ''draw one" the faucet in
the coffee urn was turned by a red
checked, blue-eyed, broad -shouldered
young Irishman. b, .
That same Irishman, still red cheek
ed, is the chairman Of the democratic
national committee and placed in
charge of the Parker and Davis cam
1paign.
His name is Thomas Taggart. In
the years between 1877 and the present
time he has been county auditor Of
Marion County, mayor of Indianapolis
three times, chairman OF the demo-
cratic state committee and member
of the democratic national committee.
He has grown in business way, too.
He grew from the lunch counter III
the station to restaurant OF his own,
then to the proprietorship of small
hotel, then to larger hotel, and finally
to the ownership of the Grand Hotel
I'm indianapolis and a chief interest in
the resort at French Lick Springs, Ind.
Taggart is just what he is said to
bea politician. He believes in get
ting. results. He does not theorize. He
does not plan complicated campaigns.
He gets out and gets votes. He can
see an advantage as quickly as any one,
and a good deal quicker than many. II
he is placed in charge OF the Parker
campaign he will have an active can,
vass started in ten days WI
Taggart has had an ambition to be
chairman of the democratic national
committee since 1900. There was much
ator James Il. Jones, who managed the
Bryan campaign OF 1896, and Taggart
said he would like to try his hand at it.
Mr.. Bryan sent word that Jones must
be reelected. He said it would not be
| fair to take him from the chairmanship
because he lost in 1896. Taggart ac-
lquiesced cheerfully. Then, when the
|present campaign came on, he frankly
stated his ambitions again.
He was born in Waterford, Ireland,
on Nov IL, 1856. His father emigrated
Ito this country when Taggart was a
|child. The family settled in Xenia, @.
Later they moved to Garret, Ind. Tag
gart had such education as he could
[get out Of the country schools. He
was forced to go to work when he was
ms, and when he was III he got his job
| in the lunch counter in the indianapolis
station. He walked there from Gar
ret.
Taggart cut sandwiches and was the
general handy man in the restaurant
until he was ri.
A few years later, early in the
eighties, he secured some backing and
bought a small hotel near the station.
He kept a good hotel. The best office
| in Indiana at that time was the audi-
|torship of Marion County, in which
Indianapolis is situated. The fees OF
the place amounted to about $4,000 a
year.
Marion County had been republican
/ since 1860 There appeared to be no
chance for democratic nominee. The
convention met and Thomas Taggart,
/ the young democrat who kept a hotel,
said he would take the nomination Tor
auditor if nobody else wanted it.
Taggart was nominated unanimously.
He went out in the country and he can
|vassed the city. .
He was selected. That $4,000 job
gave him his start. Two years later,
iii 1888, after he had been made chair
man of the democratic county commit
|tee. lie carried Marion County against
Benjamin Harrison, which was an
amazing thing, as Harrison lived ~
indianapolis, and Marion County had
gone republican In every presidential
campaign since It's336. 4.