The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-07
Known That Traction Mag
nate Has Long Cherished
Hope to Represent Indiana
In the Upper House.
DEMOCRATS HOPE TO
AVOID PARTY SPLIT.
Face Problem in Regard to
Selection of Speaker for
Next House. Strickland Is
One of Leaders.
Special to Palladium.


Indianapolis, Nov IA new name,
thatsof Hugh J. McGowan, of this city,
has been mentioned in the list of those
democrats who would like to be Unit
ed States senator, succeeding Senator
James A. Hemenway MCGOWAN is
pre- sident of the Indianapolis street
railway company and general manag
er of all the interurban railroads in
Indiana and Ohio owned by the big
Philadelphia syndicate. MCGOWAN is
in Switzerland at present and has been
there for several months for his
he ealth and nothing has been heard
from him on the subject, but it is said
that he has long cherished a hope tha,
he might some day hold seat in the
United States senate.
This is the only new developme nj
in the senatorial situation. The other
avowed candidates are working hard
for the place. l.. Ert Slack, Of Frank
lin, John e. Lamb, of Terre Haute and
B. #. Shively of South Bend are the
men who have made their announce
ments as candidates for the honor
John w. Kern has not said that he is
a candidate but it is taken from the
attitude of his friends that he will be
in the race.
however. will be to prevent a scram
BILE for the senatorship. They feel tha,
the party is now in a position to make
a record for itself and that this oppor
tunity should not be spoiled by fac
tional fights over the senatorship. Il
has been suggested already that {
conference be held for the purpose o1
making sure that only one name will
be presented for the place. but moth
ing along tbs line has been done yet.
Speakership Problem.
But the senatorship is not the only
thing that is troubling the democratic
| members of the next house. The.
will have to elect speaker for tha
| body
1t has been understood for some
time that Harry Strickland, of Green
field, would be candidate for speak
er, and that Thomas Honan, of Sey
mour would also be out for the place
In addition a boom was started to-
day for J. NJ. Smith, the newly elected
democratic representative from Jay
county. His friends say there will bt
house than Smith. He will not be new
In legislative work. they point out
as he was a member of the senate il
1898. Smith has also served six year:
on the bench and has been in the Law
practice for thirty years. For his re
cent election he made vigorous cam
! paign, laying special stress on the ne
cessity for reduction in salaries ant
other expenses of state offices.
| Another new name mentioned IL
connection with the speakership is tina
of Representative Coble. of Pike an6
| Dubois counties Coble said himself
that he will seek the honor and is dis
tributing his cards. The coming ses
sion will make his third term in tn,
| legislature. Coble has stood for hi:
| party's principles. and during the spe
| cial session was one of the strong foe:
of county local option. His enthu
siasm carried him so far that during
an intermission in the house one da.
| he objected to minister who was
preaching local option from desk ant
it required the efforts of the capito
| police to prevent trouble.
| Honan's friends point to the fact tha
he has been an able floor leader fol
the party Strickland has been known
| as one of the reform leaders of tn,
| democratic representatives. In tn,
/ special session he voted against count,
local option. In previous regular ses
| sions he voted in favor of bills lookin:
to close regulation of the liquor traf
| fic. and in fact has all along beer
known as reform legislator.
| Representative James Garrard, o
| Nincennes. has also been mentionet
| in connection with the speakership
Garrard is the publisher of a newspa
per and is secretary of the State Asso
citation of Democratic Editors. He o
course. would expect the support o
this organization. In the Legislature
! he has stood for the party's principles
| 1t is expected that the fight for tn,
speak ership will warm up from nov
on until the opening of the session o
the legislature.