The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1910-05-23

1t has been learned on unouestion-
able authority that there is absolutely
no ground for such story. Men who
were present deny that there was any
thing of the kind In sight One state
candidate who has never been regarded
as Bevertdge admirer said he read
the story in one of the papers and
that it was absolutely incorrect
The fact is, from what the members
Of the committee and the candidates
say, that the meeting discussed all
phases OF the campaign and decided on
the plans. State Chairman Lee called
the meeting in order that the candi-
dates and the committee members
might get acquainted and plan to work
together. Some weeks ago Chairman
Lee made the statement in a public in
terview that republication was going
to be the paramount issue in the cam
pafgn this year-the real. old fashioned
kind of republicanism. He did not inti-
mate that Beveridge was to be the issue
Everybody knows that Chairman Lee
hopes to see Senator Beveridge re-
Elected and 1t is natural that he would
do all in his power to bring about this
result while working for the success
of the entire republican ticket, but
nothing has appeared yet to show that
Lee or the committee Is pushing Beve-
ridge at the expense OF anyone else.
Nothiax New In Decision.
There is nothing new in the decision
of the state candidates to form an or
ganization of their own for the cam
paign. This has been done many
times. II is not for the purpose of
working counter to the state com
mittee. It is for the purpose of af-
fording the candidates an opportunity
to get together and discuss the cam
paign for themselves and to appartion
to the various candidates the work of
attending conventions and meetings in
various parts of the state.
The fact is that at the meeting OF
the candidates, held after the confer
ence with the state committee, John
Reed, candidate for auditor of state.
and E. v. Fitzpatrick, candidate for
clerk of the supreme court were chosen
as a committee to make up list of
| the conventions and meetings which
| each candidate Is to attend. These
men are already at this work and will
have the assignments ready for the
various candidates in a few days. BY
| following this plan II is assured that
every meeting or convention of any i'm
portance held in the state will be at
| tended by at least one OF the state
I
ed in campaigns for years and is moth
ing new. 1t does not by any means in
dictate that the candidates are going
| to ignore the state committee or that
here is any soreness between them.
| The story says also that some of the
candidates are hesftating about paying
in their assessments to the state com
mittee. because they feared that the
state committee would make cam
Beveridge and they lid not propose to
pay in their money for that purpose.
Your correspondent has 1t on un-
questionable authority that there was
no such situation developed at the
| meeting. The fact is that the candi-
dates expected to be assessed at the
meeting last Thursday, and some of
them were disappointed when 1t was
| announced by the state committee that
the matter of making the assessments
had been placed in the hands of the
state executive committee, which would
announce the amount of the assess
ments later. No one objected to any
thing that was done at the meeting.
A dispatch was received here yes
terday to the effect that James E. Wat
son has closed up all of his business
in Washington and was leaving for his
home at Huntsville Indiana to remain
permanently. In the dipatch was a
hint at something that has not been
heard of here before. 1t said that Wat
son was asked what he thought of the
idea of the republicans holding a
second state convention in Indiana this
year.
L am not in favor of IT," Watson
answered. Il was a candidate for gov
ernor of Indiana two years ago and
many republicans did not like the plat
form on which / was running. /
should have felt very badly IL there
had been an effort to hold a second
| convention that year"
Just how the idea originated for the
| holding of q second state convention
is not known here, and nothing has
been heard of It Plainly there is
nothing in IT. 1t is merely one OF
those hot air reports that starts no.
where and ends at the same place.