The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-07-29

6&AS -&SaA~&r44Ss
of Terre Haute and G. V. Menzies of
Mount Vernon as we'll When the time
came to hold the democratic legislative
caucus to nominate man for the SEN
ate. 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 fifteen votes at his I
highest tide, and eventually most OF /
these got away from him and went to I
Shively. For a time 1t was understood /
that the Slack vote would go to Kern,
and had it done so Kern would have /
been nominated While it was never
given out definitely that such was the /,
case. it was the general belief that
some kind of an understanding was
reached between the Kern forces and
/ the Slack forces by which they were
4 to combine to prevent the nomination
| of Shively, who was backed by the
brewing interests.
! I'D to that time Slack had always
fought the brewing interests and the
influence of Tom Taggart. who heads
the brewery forces in the party in this
state. Thus The had incurred the enmity
OF IaRSdIls anu u " DIS given Out IAAsAN
it was to be a fight between Slack and
! Taggart for supremacy, Slack ran so
strong in the race for the nomination
for governor last year that he gave the
brewing forces an awful scare and
forced their candidate, S. NJ. Ralston Of
Lebanon, to retire from the race when
he was in the lead on the balloting in
the convention and Slack was second
r-tzo or
shall and nominated him.
Following the caucus there We're all
kinds of charges of double-crossing
made by the Kern forces. Kern, for
time, threatened to issue a statement
setting forth at length the perfdy which
he said had been practiced against him
and to name the men who didit but he
changed his mind and the statement
was never issued. Just how the Slack
votes was supposed to be running as
the anti-brewery candidate was never
satisfactorily explained. All any one
knew about it was that it Happened
that way.
OF course. Kern also had the oppOsi-
ton of Senator Steve FIeming'of Fort
Wayne. and nothing ever pleased Elem
ing more than did the defeat of Kern
for they are bitter political enemies
whether Fleming succeeded in dragg-
ing some of the Slack votes into the
Shively camp has never become known,
though Fleming was working all the
time for Hoffman.
So the situation at the finish offthe
senatorial fight was a badtmix-u up. Bad
blood had been stirred up in hefparty
Z ranks-bad feeling that is'likelyfto last
for long time
Further surprise was added to the
situation later when Slack appeared
at the legislature and became a quiet
lobbyist for some of the things that
the brewery wing of the democratic
= party wished to have put1thrOugh. He
did not use brass band in doing this,
+ but his work was nevertheless effec-
$ tive.
. There is a suspicion among the poll
Il ticians 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 viii 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
n same time and that both attended the
a conference of Indiana democratic con-
g gressmen This Is the reason why their
appearance in Washington at this slime
IS is attracting the attention Of the poll
ticians.
John w. Kern has never said wheth-
Z er he viii or will not be a candidate
= for United States senator next year L
, is said, however, that he believes afplar
is being framed up to keep the nom
nation away from him in case heide
- cides to become a candidate, and tina
Il this meeting of Shea and Slack il
Washington is regarded as proof o
this.
The word from Washington is tina
all of the democratic members o
Icongress from Indiana will be candi
dates again next year and that NOR
hard work is to be done in this stat
Sc than in any other in the Union in tn
- effort to hold the eleven districts whicl
the democrats now have. In doini
80 this the organization will also try t
elect a majority of the Legislature Fl
- order to make sure of another senator
and this is the feature of the situation
that is said to be of special interest t