The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-27

The fight is being directed on the one
side by James P. Goodrich. chairman
of the Republican state committee, and
his efficient secretary, Carl w. Rid
dick, with the ClaypooI hotel as their
headquarters. Stokes Jackson, the we'll
known Indiana Democrat, leads the
fight for his party and Bryan, with
the assistance of ]. Ridley, his secre-
tary, from the Denison hotel.
Indiana has the reputation of going
Republican whenever there is first
class fight on, and of going Democratic
only when the party is absolutely
united. The fight is here this year. all
to their eyes. The differences that
marked their campaign in the early
part of the year may not have been
composed as yet, but they have been
dropped for the time being, just quiet
ly set to one side while all factions
Join hands in going at the common
Democratic enemy.
There is no question that all the
fighting men have their coats off and
are pushing for the center of the me-
lee. 1t takes but glance at the Re-
publican headquarters to see that
things are fairly humming.
There is not quite the same atmos-
phere about the Democratic headquar-
ters here, and the indications and evil
dence are that the Democrats have
success in patching up party differ
ences for the campaign that the Re-
publicans have. The Democrats were
unfortunate at the start by getting on
the wrong side of the temperance is
sue. To be sure, they did, and are
doing their best to show that there
was no essential difference between
their stand and that of the Republic
cans. They were for local option as
well as the Republicans. The differ
ence was that they wanted the town
ship and ward to be the option unit,
instead of the county, which was IA
vored by the Republicans.
Now there isn't sue ha tremendous
lot OF difference between these two po-
sitions, but the Democrats were ham
strung in the very beginning by the
fact that the brewers and liquor inter-
ests generally promptly adopted them
as champions and lined them up per-
force on the wrong side of the issues.
1t availed the Democrats absolutely
nothing to shout that they, too, were
for local option as long as everybody
who could see anything knew that the
| liquor men were on their side and con-
tributing literally to their fight.
And then all chance of even effecting
a similarity of position to that of the
Republicans was destroyed by the open
appearance here of Thomas Taggart
Indianas member of the Democratic
national committee and national chair
man four years ago. heading the fight
against the Republican bill. Taggart
took personal charge of the contest for
the Democrats, and he had with him
the Democratic state chairman and
several other prominent leaders of the
state They worked every device they
could think of not only to keep the
democrats lined Up solidly against the
county opposition bill. but also to per-
suade as many Republicans as possible
70 break away from their party on the
proposition.
Even before the fight was ended
there were evidences that this attitude
on the part of the Democratic parry
officials here had produced dissatfsfac-
tion among the Democrats in some of
the rural counties. The evidence is
increasing of this dissatisfaction. There
mas been for long time strong feel