The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-02-24
WILL COMBINE TO
DEFEAT TAGGART'S
MAN FOR GOVERNOR
Asserted That Samuel RaIston
Will Get the AK at Hands
Of Those Men Opposing the
Rule of Beer.
DEMOCRATS HAVE NO
ORGANIZATION YET.
Many of the Counties Have
Not Yet Selected Delegates
To the State Convention,
Which Causes Surprise.

Indianapolis, Feb. 24-Withln the
next ten days the anti-Taggart forces
are expected TO disclose some Of their
plans for the democratic state conven-
ton March 20 and 20. 1t is thought
now that they will attempt to combine
on some one TO defeat Samuel NJ. Raj
ston. Of Lebanon, for the nomination
for governor, but so far they have not
indicated a preference for any Of the
candidates. Raston is the favorlte
of Taggart and his followers.
When the conye ntion meets 1t Is
believed that Risk and the politicians
who fought Taggart almost to a stand
still in the reorganization OF the state
committee will be found to be lined
up sOlidly against RalstOn.
The democrats find themselves in a
peculiar situation, owing to the early
call for the convention. Less than a
fourth of the counties have reorganiz-
ed their committees for the coming
campaign. There never has been a
set time for the democrats to reor
ganize in the counties.
Each county has followed its own
| inclination. AS result, many of
them have waited until after the con-
ventions to elect their committeeman.
1t has been the custom to hold the
state convention in midsummer, which
generally gave all counties the time
they required to organize, but, as mat
-<1x hat tI
fourths Of the delegates will be Sc
lected under the old county and pre-
cinct organization, which was largely
favorable to Taggart and his cohorts.
Some Of the counties are reorgan-
izing and electing their delegates at
the same time. There has been moth
| ing to indicate the relative strength
OF the candidates for governor. All
| of them are travelling from place to
| place, urging their friends to help
| them, but it is not believed that either
has anything like thorough state Or
ganization.
Anti-SalOOn league leaders are not
| very seriously impressed with the de-
| claratiOns of any of the democratic
| leaders on that subject. They have
too vivid memory of what occurred
during the last session of the legis-
lature, when the democrats lined up
solidly in the house against the 81 900
! license bill and defeated 1t. The dem
| ocrats were also charged with defeat
ing anne ndments to the Moore law and
with trying to prevent the enactment
of the blind tiger" measure. Under
! the circumstances some of the Anti
Saloon league leaders are convinced
that the cry of the democratic politi-
clans in favor of local option Is mere
ly political expedient that should
not carry much weight.
| There is at this time much specu-
| lation as TO how the local option plank
in the democratic platform will read
If the democratic editors, led by such
men as Henry G. Barnhart of Roch-
ester, are permitted to write the plank
it is believed that it will be as strong
as the Anti-Saloon league could de
sire, but If it is prepared by some oil
the democratic leaders, who can't get
it out of their minds what great
factor the brewers once were in In
diana politics, the language is not liza
bic to be very emphatic.
Whatever the declaration is on this
subject, the nominee for governor will
have to stand for it. At this time many
members of the party are showing {
disposition to dip in and take a hand
in making up the ticket and writing
the platform who have left such mat
tiers to the machine for the last /:
years. Conditions have arisen that are
giving the machine much anxiety ani