The Indianapolis times., 1929-09-14
BLOCK CHANCE
TO TIE HANDS
OF G. 0. BOSS
State Committee Charged
With DiIatory Tactics to
Aid Coffin.
RULES CAN BE CHANGED
Power May Be Taken from
Chairman in 0usting of
Precinct Chiefs.
BY BEN STERN

Rules which would check the
custer power of George v. Coffin,
city Republican chairman, are be-
ing delayed in adoption by the Re-
publican state committee SO the
chairman may name the city ticket,
should the supreme court hold the
city manager law unconstitutional, II
was charged today.
Anti-Coff1n Republicans asserted
that amenoatory party rules, which
would render powerless the club OF
custer which Coffin waves over pre-
cinct committeeman to make them
fall in line" have been considered
for several months before the COM
mittee.
These rules were drawn by Charles
A. Roemler, Indianapolis attorney
last fall at the request OF persons
friendly to the administration.
Action Held Up
They then were considered and
approved a meeting attended by
Eliza o. Rogers of Lebanon, state
committee chairman; Ewing Emison
of Vincennes, second district chair
man, and Bert Fuller. campaign
manager for Governor Harry G.
Leslie.
Rogers promised that the rules
would be submitted to the state
committee, it is said. They were,
"in lukewarm manner" it was
charged and further action has been
delayed.
Rule 145 is of paramount interest
to anti-Coff1n men. 1t has been re-
written to provide that any dispute
over the seating of a precinct COM
mitteeman or any custer move, may
be appealed directly to the state
committee, but never was adopted.
Under the present rule, a dispute
first is referred to the county COM
mittee, which is controlled by Ome7
Hawkins, prominent Coffin hench-
man, and then to the district COM
mittee. over which Coffin presides as
district committeeman.
dOp6icSS 10 AppcdA
"You can see how hopeless 1t
would be for a precinct committee
man to appeal from being ousted by
Coffin in such a setup," Harry Hen
erickson, anti-Coff1n leader, de-
clared.
Last May at the city convention
which elected Coffin city chairman,
duly elected precinct committeeman
were refused credentials and the
hall was packed with Coffin work
erS.
"Yet. there was a sufficient num-
ber of election committeeman pres
ent who would have revolted against
the organization if they knew they
could fight an custer with good
chance of winning.
"The city custer rule has been
invoked for years and always has
been an organization rule.
Prospect of Beating Coffin
"If the amendatory rule is passed,
there is excellent prospect of a fight
being waged on any ticket which
Coffin may try to put over, but un-
der the present rule such fight IS
hopeless.
Il would like to see a rule framed
giving only the state committee
power to oust."
Rogers declared he was not at
tempting to delay action on the rules
to favor Coffin.
Il am not interested in Coffin or
anyone else" he declared. State
committee rules are not written TO
apply to individual cases.
1.-THE committee found it impo5-
sible to do any work at the get-to-
gether meeting last Tuesday at
! Lebanon and so we decided to take
no action until the next meeting, III
about thirty days
Gives Coffin Advantage
This delay, however, will give
Coffin ample time to hold a city
convention and name the ticket il
| the supreme court rules against city
no enager law proponents. it was SAID
The new rules also include ar
emendment to Rule 81. which vii
provide that only duly elected COM
mitteemen or duly appointed vice
committeeman shall vote"
In preparing these rules" Roem-
Ter said, "I have attempted to fl,
matters so that one faction will moi
be able to control the machinery Of
city committee meeting. Thi'
would clarity the entire situation II
-r~rion county. if adopted"