The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-03-20
FIELD AGAINST
SAMUEL RALSTON
Other Candidates Will Try to
Knock His Taggart Props
From Under Him.
PARTY HAS NO SYSTEM.
LITTLE OR NOTHING DOING AT
THE STATE HEADQUARTERS
AND BUT LITTLE INFORMATION
CAN BE GAINED THERE.

indianapolis, March 20.-Contrasted
with the well conducted and business
like management of the republican
campaign, the democratic situation is
chaotic. This is apparent to anyone
who has followed the trend OF daily
events. He cannot nave failed to OBJ
serve the well-ordered arrangements
and effective methods on the one hand
and the lack Of arrangements and
dearth of methods on the other.
TO illustrates: 4 caller at the re-
publican headquarters can without any
delay or trouble ascertain just what
counties have selected their delegates
and on what dates those counties yet
10 name their delegates will do so. He
can obtain "A list Of the delegates, with
their addresses. and can find out gen
eral information promptly in regard
10 congressional conventions, district
meetings, county primaries, etc
The committee is in close touch
with all the district and county lead |
ers. Reports are filed and indexed
the moment they are received. Tang !
les are Strengthened out without delay |
by use Of the long-distancc telephone. |
The work is systematized, well order !
ed .splendidly managed and Secretary
Riddick is the man largely responsible |
for the able conduct of affairs. He
works early and late and keeps his
corps of assistants right up to the
chalk line.
Little Activity.
At democratic headquarters little
activity is observed. Joe Kelley, sec
rotary, is obliging but non-committal.
His single assistant has been trained
TO remain silent. Information OF gen
eral interest is not available. Dele
gates chosen for the state convention,
only six days hence, are not listed.
The calendar of county and district
meetings has not been kept up to date.
The mail is small. The telephone sell
dom rings. Files are empty and in
deXes are unknown. An occasional
visitor may be sitting around. but
things are at a standstilI All is Iuiet
and serene as an undertaker's estab-
lishment.
Each one OF the republican candi- |
dates for the goyernorship will go into |
his convention with wel-defined es-
innate of his strength He will know |
Just who his friends are and who are
the ones he will have to watch.
Candidates Don't Know.
In contrast, there is not d democrat
tic candidate who knows anything
about his own situation. He has no
idea how many delegates he will have
on the first ballot he does not know
who the delegates are or who they are
for. He is counting on landing them
after the convention is called to order
next Wednesday.
Free-for-aI.
This much is true--tAe democratic
convention is going 10 be a beautiful I
freefor-all. Sam Ralston is the only
one of the bunch of starters in the
governorship race who has an organi-
cation. He has the TaSgart machine
behind him. All the other candidates
are bent on knocking down the Raj |
ston pins, but after this Is done they
have no plan Of action. Combinations
have not been made; deals are I'M
known except for those put through
by Taggart.
Opposition to RaIston.
Many democrats think that the dis
organized condition Of affairs will re-
suit in the early selection of Ralston.
He will be nominated. these predict.
before the opposition has time to
know what is going on. This is an ex-
aggerated view. The field of candi-
dates is working together with some
degree of success. The various candi-
dates realize that the first thing to be
done is to lick Ralston. and this they
will set out to do without any delay.
Ralstop disposed Of there will be a
good fighting chance for any one of
the three or four candidate s-Thomas
r. Marshall, of Cambridge City: l.. Ert
Slack, of Franklin; c. G. Conn, of Elk
hart, or for Thomas II. Kuhn, of Rich
mond.
Many democrats are more interest
ed in the fight on Taggart than they
are in the gubernatorial contest. This
contest will probably be disposed Of
Wednesday afternoon, when the dele
gates TO the convention will meet by
districts to elect delegates to the nat
ioral convention.
Mrs. T. p. O'Connor. wife of the Irish
advocate of home rule. is said to be
convinced that English women will
have the full right of parliamentary
suffrage within the next seven wears.