Evening star., 1923-11-04
FOES Or PRIMARY
ACTIVE IN INDIANA.
Watson's Hand Seen in e.
fort to Flood Field With
Candidates.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

special Dispatch TO The Star.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. November a.
With two candidates for the .repub-
lican nomination for governor al
ready announced. and with others pre-
pairing to enter the race. 1t is extreme
ly probable that the primary mex;
May will be such a closely contested
affair that the convention VIII be
called to make the ultimate selection
OF the nominee Under the Indiana
law It Is necessary for candidate to
receive a majority of all the votes
cast to be nominated, and IL that Is
not done the convention must make
the selection, either from the. field Of
active contestants or from outside
ranks.
Such an eventuality would be much
to the liking of those G. o. p. leaders
who have consistently opposed the
primary. and who in the last two ses-
sions of the legislature have maue
futile attempts to have the law re-
pealed.
Opposition to the primary law has
been directed largely from the camp
of Senator James E. Watson for sew
erai years. watson followers led the
assault on the law in the last session
of the legislature, only to admit de-
feat before an aroused public opinion
which had It's inspiration from Albert
]. Beveridge, a consistent champion
Of the primary.
There Is no doubt that the senator's
followers would like to see a Watson
man head the state ticket next year,
but they are doubtful il that can be
done through the primary. For that
reason the Watson forces are flirting
with practically every candidate men
toned. except Ed Jackson. secretary
of state. who is expected to be the
Ku klux Khan favorite.
Can Dominate Convention.
The Watson forces are inspired by
two motives. First, there is unmis-
taxable evidence that they hope to
get enough entrants into the race to
throw the choice into a convention
where by their superior organization
the selection. In the event that fails
they hope by encouraging each candi-
date to ride through with the victor
If one is returned by the primary.
For that reason today observers see
a certain Watson influence back Of
has cast his hat into the ring on an
anti-Klan and anti-public service
commission platform. Watson work
ers are encouraging Edgar d. Bush of
Salem to become candidate, and
some Watson men are flirting with E.
c. Toner Of Anderson. who announced
his candidacy few weeks ago.
Many angles are presented by the
peculiar situation in this state. Toner
sees his stock rising because of the
impending fight between Shank and
Jackson on the Khan issue. The An,
derson man has not taken positive
stand either way on the Klan. and
hopes to win from both sides because
of the expected bitter tilt between
Shank and Jackson. Bushs entrance
will mean a four-way division of the
an impossibility for any one to get q
majority over the other three.
Shank Independent.
Shank, because of his Independent
ways. is not inspiring a great deal of
enthusiasm among organization lead
ers, for they fear he might Upset lot
of carefully prepared plans II he once
lands in the governors office. But
right now many of the leaders are
looking Shankward because they be-
lieve he is the only man who can win
on the republican ticket I'm the face of
the McCray debacle.
whether the leaders would dare; to
go into a convention and select an
outsider is a question that may not
be answered until next May. 1t Is
significant, however, that many, on
looking over the field of active and
potential candidates, are discussing
HAROLD c. FE1GHTNER.