The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-10-15
Fighting Boss of Indiana DEM
ocracy Is Preparing Now to
Jump Into indianapolis City
Campaign.
MARSHALL PARTY is
TRYING TO OPPOSE HIM
There Is No Secret That the
Governors Clan Is WORKING
Out a Plan to Dump Mr..
Taggart.
tPallad dunn Specially

palladium Specially
Indianapolis, Ind, Oct 1o-Numer-
Gus conferences which have been held
in this city during the last few days
indicate that Thomas Taggart has
changed his mind about retiring from
active politics in Indiana, if. indeed he
ever made the statement that he would
retire. 1t was published in some of
the papers few weeks ago that Tag
CART had stated that he would retire
from the game in order to devote all
of his time to his vast business inter-
ests.
Just on what authority this publica-
ton was made is not known. 1t first
appeared in a Cincinnati paper and was
followed by publications of the story
in several Indiana papers, with a dis
cussion of its effect. and the prediction
that it would turn out to be untrue
1t was thought to be rather strange
for Taggart to make such statement
Just at time when Governor Marshall
and several other leaders of the new
thought" in the party were laying
plans to take the control of the demo
cratic state organization away from
Taggart and his followers.
There Is No Secrecy.
There is no secrecy about the fact
the governor and the rest of this clan
are actively at work on a plan that
will dump Taggart II it ever works out.
They believe the party has been in the
hands Of the Taggart bunch for too
long a time already. and that 1t is
about time for the democrats to take Il
turn at running their own party. The
Taggart crowd has. used the party dur
ing the last few years almost entirely
in the interest of the br~ wers Of the
state. and large element within the
ranks is Of the opinion that this Is bad
policy and that it should not continue
Under the Taggart leadership the
democratic party made it's fights
against the enactment Of laws to regu-
late the liquor traffic in the state. In
the legislature of 1907 1t was the Tag
CART element which made the figh:
against the passage OF the thousand
dollar license bill, which would have
been a good regulative measure. The
brewers. who were behind Taggart in
the fight. were fighting against the
enactment of any kind Of a regulative
statute at that time. They felt SO Sc
cure in their position that they pooh
poohed the idea of the legislature try
ing to pass a law which they did not
like. Under the able leadership Of
Taggart and his followers. the brewers
were able to defeat the thousand dollar
license bill, the democratic party be-
ing used for this purpose.
Got Party in Bad.
This got the party In bad. and did
more than any other one thing toward
bringing on the passage of the county
| local option law, law which is ten
times more destructive of the liquor
traffic than the thousand dollar IL
cense bill would have been. The de.
feat of the first bill caused the temper.
ance people Of the state to put on Their
fighting harness and go after the trai
fic right 1t also put Governor Hanly
on his mettle and did much toward
causing him to call the special session
of the legislature which he compelled
to pass the local option bill. This was
one of the effects of Taggart rule in the
party, for which Taggart and the brew
ers have been receiving the blame
Ever since the legislature Of 1907 the
democratic party has been referred tt
| in the papers and by public speakers
as the brewers party in Indiana. al
though it is known that there is very
large element in the party. even close
" approaching a majority. of its mem
bers. which does not agree with that
policy.
| The brewers have been kicking them
selves ever since the fact became
known that an effort would be mads
to pass the county option law. They
saw then that they had made a bad
mistake in opposing the thousand dol
lar license bill. and they could oni.
console themselves with the thought
that they had done the best they could
under the Taggart leadership.
| What Situation Was.
This was the situation in the part5
when Governor Marshall undertook tbs
task of bringing about a reorganiza
ton, which. as is pointed out by his