The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-04-23
Prominent Democrats in Dix
lie Have Undertaken to
Study Him as a Presidential
Possibility.
JOHN SHARP WILLIAMS
MAKES A PREDICTION
He States That Ultimately the
Moses of the Democratic
Party Will Be Located in
Indiana.

Indianapolis. Ind. April 23.-The
South is interested in Governor Mar,
shall, according to dispatch from
Washington, and the democrats of that
part of the country have undertaken
to study the man to see whether he is
presidential timber or not.
This fact came out when it was dis
covered that Congressman Moss. Of
the Fifth Indiana district, recently
sent to Washington a large supply of
printed copies Of Governor Marshall's
inaugural address and of his first mes
sage to the legislature after his inau-
at the request of Senator John Sharp
Williams, of Mississippi. who told him
after Governor Marshall had been at
Washington that "thc democrats of
the south should keep their eye on In
diana, because, ultimately, the choice
OF the democratic party for the presi-
dency will come from that state"
A Big Democrat.
Senator Williams is the big demo-
crat of the South, and his views and
opinions carry more weight than those
Of any other Southern democrat. The
South looks to him to lead the way in
party politics, so when he made this
remark the Southern congressman and
senator's decided to see what was in
the governor Of Indiana.
They made requests for copies OF
his addresses and messages in order
that they might study them and find
out whether he is a democrat of the
old type, such as the party used to
contain. These requests for copies OF
his speeches became so frequent, ac-
cording to the dispatch from Washing
ton. that Congressman Moss decided to
try to comply with them. So he sent
back to Indiana and had large SUP
ply of printed copies OF the speeches
and the inaugural address forwarded
to him for distribution among those
who were asking for them.
Favorable Comment.
The dispatch says that ever since
the pamphlets arrived the democratic
congressman, nearly all of whom are
from south of Mason and Dixon's line
have been reading them carefully and
studying the utterances of Governor
Marshall on the issues of the day. And
it Is said that frequent favorable COM
ment is heard among them.
Governor Marshall. however. does
not take any stock in the effort to
boost his name in the list Of presiden-
tial candidates. He says he is gov
ernor-that's all, and that he is not
running for anything else and will not
run for anything else as long as he is
governor of Indiana.
II Indiana has a candidate for the
nomination for president on the demo
cratic ticket in 1912, it may have two
instead of one, for there is a good deal
of talk down East of Senator Benja-
min F. Shively for that honor. OF
course, everybody takes off their has
to Governor Marshall for the victory
which he won last fall, and he is far
and away the most prominent demo-
crat in Indiana just now. from the
viewpoint of the entire country. And
If he were to get into the race for the
nomination for president, he might
line up the state solidly for him and
again he might not For he and
Shively have not trained together in
the same school OF politics in their
party, and Shively's following il of
the kind that would probably not go to
Marshall except as a matter OF state
pride.
Boquets for Shiveiy.
Some of the New York papers are
saying nice things about Senator
Shively, and they frequently use his
name in the list of presidential posi-
bilities. But there is not any good
reason to believe at this time that
either Marshall or Shivcly will get in
to the game. Presidential candidates
are not chosen that way anyhow. The
democratic candidate for president is
generally picked by Dick Croker,
Charley Murphy, ''Fingy" Connors and
the rest OF the bunch in New York,
assisted by q similar bunch in the 9TH
err big cities. This crowd has not yet
announced that it is FER either Mar
shall or Shively for anything. They
call them nice fellows, all right, and
acknowledge that they make good
speeches, hut when 1t comes to pick
ing out one OF them form president
we'll. they have not done anything
along that line yet.
Governor Marshall is getting q lot
OF good advertising ont Of his boom
for the presidency. and that Is worth
something. too. It will put him into
the highest councils of the party, and
he Will from now on be q man thar