Evening star., 1922-05-07
WATSON, INDIANA,
REPUBLICAN, CHIEF
Senator Inherits Party Pow
er Through Defeat Of New
at Primaries.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

al primaries.
Special Dispatch to The Star
INDIANAPOLIS. Ind. May s.-There
is little doubt that. az q result of the
Indiana statewide primary. Senator
James e. Watson will come into COM
plete control of the republican state
organization. Gov. McCray and others
of the Watson faction say that Law
renee Lyons will be elected repubIi-
can state chairman when the state
convention is held next month. Lyons
is the, Watson man. and he cannot be
elected unless Watson controls the
COMMITTEES.
Many charges are now being made
by Senator News supporters that 1t
ization control that caused News de-
feat. Attempts were made, It is said.
to get q positive pro-New statement
from Watson during the days immedi.
ately preceding the primary. Such a
statement. News friends say, would
have assured the success OF New. But
they say such a statement might have
damaged Watson's effort for state Or
ganization control. and therefore It
was not given. Watson's reported
failure to give aid has been the SUBJ
1ect or at least one conference, held
the day after the primary. and at
tended, among others, by Fred I.
King, Senator News state manager,
and L. W. Henly, formerly associated
with Will Hays In the work Of tho
national committee.
Heavy Farm Vlote.
That Senator New was not nomi-
mated by q close majority. as had
been predicted by practically every
observer and political writer in In
diana, was due to the fact that tho
vote in the farm communities was
1t was never doubted that Mr.. Bev-
eridge's main strength was in the ru-
raj districts. It Is in these districts
that Senator Wsfson Is strong, and it
Is there. say Senator News friends,
that Watson might have saved the
diana, Senator Watson has expressed
sorrow that Senator New was de.
feated. and has given as the reason
he did not give him full support the
fact that he could not control some
Of his followers.
The two districts where Senator
New suffered the severest defeat are
the sixth and the ninth. according to
the returns. The sixth is Senator
Watson's old home district, and the
ninth is the home district Of John
Owen. Senator Watson's political
The heavy vote polled by Samuel
for United States senator. Is the occa-
sion of comment. It appears that
Mr.. Ralston received practically as
many votes in the democratic primary
as did ME-. Beveridge in the republican
primary. There is much talk to the
NHf k@ak DaIa mil hA AL Tod
this fall but talk Of this kind always
persists after there has been hot
factional fight in the opposition party.
Wet Leads Dry Candidate.
In the Indianapolis congressional
district the vote OF Joseph P. Turk,
the wet democratic candidate for the
congressional nomination. was about
twice that of his dry opponent. But
in the statewide primary the vote Of
for the democratic nomination for
United States senator, was less than
10 per cent of the entire vote. with
only four candidates in the running.
In fact. the vote Of none of the other
candidates came within hailing dis
tance Of the vote polled by Mr.. Raj
ston. Ralston's main strength. 1t ap-
pears, was in the farming communi-
ties. He had the active support Of
Thomas Taggart.
The democratic congressional nomi-
nees, aside from Turk. mentioned
above, are: First district, William E.
Wilson; second, Arthur H. Greenwood:
third. John W. Ewing; fourth. Harry
c. Canfield; fifth, Charles H. Bidaman;
sixth, James A. Clifton; eighth, John
W. Tynball; ninth, George Lee Moi
fett; tenth, William F. Sproner; eley-
enth. Samuel e. Cook; twelfth.
Charles w. Branstrator, and thir-
teenth, Esther Kathleen O'Keefe.
Miss O'Keefe made an active can
vass Of the district. She Is said to
have borrowed her political methods
from her father. who was long In
politics. In the second congressional
district Mrs. w. A. Cullop. wife of the
former representative. ran second in
the democratic contest in q field of
three. All republican representatives
were renominated.