Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-06
MARSHALL FIRST WINS
NATION FAME IN 1908
DEFEATS JAMES WATSON, HEAD OF THE INDIANA REPUB-
LICAN MACHINE FOR GOVERNOR BY A
MAJORITY OF Il, 900.

Thomas Riley Marshall first won
national attention in 1908 by defeating
the republican candidate for governor
of Indiana in the year that Taft was
elected president. James Watson was
the republican candidate and chief of
staff OF the Fairbanks political ma
chine The principal issue was county
option against municipal local option
and Marshall was backing the latter.
Marshall always had been active in
the work of his party in Indiana, but
ne never had held public Office. In
1906 he was asked TO take the nomina-
ton for congress from the district he
represented on the democratic central
committee, but declined. He said he
had strong personal reasons for not
wishing to go to Washington as a men,
Der Of either house of congress.
AFRAID HE WOULD WIN.
1T isn't very likely you would have
to CO." was the answer, but nearly
every decent democrat in this vicinity
has been defeated for congress once
and sometimes twice. It's about time
YOU took licking like a man and a
democrat What do you want, any
how"
Il would take a licking, all right
Marshall replied, but I'm afraid l
would be elected. The only thing
want from the party is a nomination
for governor"
! When Marshall won the nomination
for the governorship IN 1908 he went
| before the convention and threw the
nomination back at the delegates un.
less he could have the assurance of a
united party back of him. Taft carried
the state with a republican majority
of 10000. Marshall had a democratic
majority of $4,000.
Governor Marshall believes in fore
ordination. Friends criticise him be
cause he refused TO hustle for the
democratic nomination for the presi
o Providential Intervention.
The presidential nomination, he
said recently, is a thing too big tc
run after and too big to run away
from. It's sure to overtake you if you
should happen TO be the man really
wanted for 1t by the people 1t is the
opportunity for service rather thar
the honors that go with the presidenc!
that is most attractive to me. | dom
suppose l have the ordinary motive.
for ambition; l have a wife, but she
will mourn me as sincerely when
am gone If never become president
have no mother, no father, no broth
er, no sister, to bask in the reflected
glory of any honors that might conc
to me. l am the last of my family
FOND OF CHILDREN.
Homely and soft-hearted is the Maj
shall of today. He envies the father
of children. He says he would give u
all he has and all he hopes to attail
. if he could hold his own children t
his heart. Mrs. Marshall, while Twin
at Columbia City, mothered the infan
class of the Sunday school in tn
church in which Marshall did mos
of the pillaring. Mr.. and Mrs MAJ
shall have practically reared one CIR
a niece, and il is said they put
, young man through college. They ar
practical in their sentime ntality an
human in its application.
) Marshall is homely in his way
? homely in his conversation and mai
> ner and personal habits. This doc
: not prevent him from dealing in or
+. torical flights to ancient Rome, NJ
does, Il prevent him from dipping int
n poesy anon, to emerge with the dri
r ping lily of refined thought in his wri
g ing hand.
/. Governor Marshall holds sacred ii
precedents established by the founde
. of the raDUhlic In an iutprviam wit