The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-06-10
SMOOTH
CAMPAIGNER
Middle of the Road Policy
Pursued by Candidate
for Governor.
CHANGES HIS POLICY.
Abandons Radical Reform, Flirts
With Taggart Forces and Thus
Hopes to Lure Democracy.
Especial to Lake County Times.)


Indianapolis. June 1O.-L Ert Slack
of Franklin. quasi-reformer, state SEN
ator, wearer of the Prince Albert and
the white carnation. upholder OF the
school teachers. the women and general
gentleman bountiful TO all comers. is
giving out carefully prepared i'm
preston these days. IT differs from the
original impression of several months
ago, because, perhaps. circumstances
have changed. Anyhow it differs.
AS all Indiana knows, L. Ert Slack
is a candidate for the next guberna-
torial nomination at the hands of the
democratic party.
Time was when he was glad TO have
been reckoned as anti-Taggart. True,
he says that he has never taken lead
ing part against the astute and willy
democratic national chairman, and his
name was never mixed in the Inflated
For the Restoration of the Majority
Rule" club that was hatched in the
second district. Taggart smashed this
abortive attempt quite completely. but
there was a time when it appeared TO
have some show of success. And when
there was some chance of success. L.
Ert Slack, candidate for democratic
nomination for governor, was in very
close touch with the league.
In fact. during the early part Of the
last general assembly the senator from
Johnson and Shelby was strong as a
reformer. one with a big r. His
friends thought that he stumbled a bit
now and then. as the best of us do, and
then came the wonder as to what he
was playing.
Game Is Ont.
Later developments have shown what
the game is. The altogether reform
game didn't get the goods delivered to
Slack. So it is from now on a pro-
gram of modified reform. just reason
able reform-reform in a small way
and after homeopathic fashion.
For now Slack refuses to be known
as the anti-Taggart candidate for the
democratic nomination. OF course
there is a real Taggart candidate.
Samuel Ralston, of Lebanon; and ma
turalIy it would seem that Slack would
/ take the anti-tack. But he refuses to.
He is still a reformer. but a mild one.
He does not run in the Tagart harness
nor does he run in contra harness. He
is between the proverbial devil and
! deep Dtue sea, ana the SITUATION he
thinks TO be winning one.
All that Slack asks is that the Tag
gart people do not fight him tooth and
toe nail If they will promise not to
fight him, he says that he will win;
they do not need to help him-just lay
away, and he is pretty sure that he
will win the nomination.
Now it is not regarded as being al
all likely that the Taggart crowd
charmingIy accommodating as its lead
er is, will willingly agree to this little
Slack program. He says that under
these conditions he will win. There is
no question but that the Taggart
bunch do not want him to win-at
least not as much as they want the
Hon. Samuel Ralston Of Lebanon K
win In fact, the Taggart wing viii
probably take no arrangements of Mr.
Slack as being final, and will reserv'
the right to make any little changes
that occur TO them. And in these ar
rangements. what will become of Mr.
Slack-backed unreservedly by none