The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-07-28
Very Quietly the Chiefs of the
Indiana Clans Assembled at
Washington to Plan the
Next Campaign.
SLACK AND SHivELY
BURIED THE RATCHET
There Is a Suspicion Among
Politicians That the Former
Is Trimming Sails for Job in
Senate.

Senate.
Indianapolis, July 2s.-A choice bit
of political gossip has been started in
democratic circles by the visit to
Washington OF Judge Joseph Shea. OF
Seymour and l.. Ert Slack. of Frank
lin, at the same time. This informa-
ton of itself might not cause any ex-
element were it not for the fact that
Judge Shea went east a few weeks
ago with Crawford Fairbanks, the Ter
re Haute brewer.
Judge Shea and Fairbanks went
east together in Fairbanks automo-
bile. They went direct to New York
and 1t is only in the last few days
that Shea has gone to Washington.
When they got to New York. Senator
Shively went up from Washington to
meet Judge Shea and together Shea
and Shively went to Manhattan Beach
for a week. Whether Fairbanks was
with them there has not yet become
known here. A few days ago Shea
and Shively went on to Washington,
and about the same time Slack met
them there-at least he arrived in
Washington about the same time.
Dixon Was Host.
The dispatches from Washington
tell about a meeting that was held in
the rooms of Congressman Lincoln
Dixon. of the Fourth Indiana district,
Monday night, which was attended by
all OF the eleven democratic congress
men from Indiana. at which campaign
plans for next year In Indiana were
talked over. Shea was there and SO
was Slack, and Senator Shively also
attended.
Some of the fellows who keep a
close eye on politics say that 1t is pc
culiar that Slack and Shea should
both arrive in Washington at the
same time-just in time to attend the
democratic caucus OF Indiana con-
gressmen. The name of Fairbanks
does not figure in the dispatches. SO
II he is in Washington with them he
is in the background. It is said. how
ever, that he has not yet returned
home from the east
A Little History.
It will be remembered that Slack
was = candidate for United States
senator, last winter, against Shively.
Slack was regarded as the one candi-
date in the race who was running in
opposition to the brewery interests.
and the one man whom the breweries
especially wished to beat.
It will be remembered also that
Judge Shea was the campaign manag-
er for Shively during that race and
that he did a mighty good job of it,
too, for he landed his man in the SEN
atoriai chair, defeating not only Slack,
but John W. Kern. of this city; Ed
ward G. Hoffman. Of Fort Wayne;
John r. Lamb, OF Terre Haute, and
g. " Menzies Of Mt. Vernon, as we'll.
When the time came to hold the DEM
ocratic legislative caucus to nominate
q man for the senate. Slack did not
show up with the strength that he had
expected or that people gave him
credit with having at his back. He
was not able to muster more than
about Is votes at his highest tide,
and eventually most of these got away
from him and went to Shively. For q
time 1t was understood that the Slack
vote would 80 to Kern, and had it
done so Kern would have been NOM
mated. While it was never given out
definitely that such was the case, 1t
was the general belief that some kind
of an understanding was reached be-
tween the Kern forces and the Slack
forces by which they were to combine
to prevent the nomination OF Shively,
who was backed by the brewery In
terests.
Oh You L. Er!
The is suspicion among the politi-
clans that Slack is trimming his sails
for the nomination for United States
senator in 1912 In case the democrats
carry the legislature. 1t is also sus-
pected that he will not have the same
kind of opposition from the breweries
next time that he had the last time,
and fresh fuel is added to the fire of
this belief by the fact that he and
Judge Shea were in Washington at
the same time and that both attended
the conference of Indiana democratic
congressman. This IL the reason why
their appearance in Washington at
this time is attracting the attention
|of the politicians.
John w Kern has never said wheth-
er he will or will not be a candidate
for United States senator next year.
1t is said. however. that he believes
plan is being framed up to keep the
nomination away from him in case he
decides to become candidate. and
that this meeting of Shea and Slack in
Washington is regarded a. proof OF
this.
The word from Washington is that
all OF the democratic members OF con-
gress from Indiana will Be candidates
again next year and that more hard
work is to be done in this state than
In any other in the union in the effort
to hold the eleven districts which the
democrats now have. In doing this
hn cleo a1o.o%