The Indianapolis times., 1930-04-25
COUNTY SPLIT
PERILS HOPES
OF DEMOCRATS
Three Factions in Field in
Battle to Dominate
Party Choices.
CITY HALL GROUP BUSY
Barrett and Reach Also
Reported to Have
Framed States.
BY BEN STERN

What adversity could not do,
success already has accomplished
diSintegration of the Democratic
organization in Marion county,
events of the last few days indicate.
Flushed from the overwhelming
victory in the fall municipal cleo
ton and confident that it preSages
a similar result in the county elec-
ton, 1t appears that every Demo-
cratic leader is attempting to force
upon the party his own slate, so
he may control the court house.
Three states already have entered
the field. They are the one ad-
vanced by Fred Barrett early in the
year; the organization slate, sup
posed1y sponsored by Leroy j.
Reach, county chairman, and a
third put forth by the city hall
group, in defiance Of the statement
of Mayor Reginald Sullivan that he
wanted no city hall activity in the
primary.
VOWCO VN4SAI OuSPACAOIL
The city hall slate is viewed with
suspicion because of the activity of
Hendricks Kenworthy in promot-
ing it.
Kenworthy, Ninth ward chair
man, is a representative of the In
diana Portland Cement Association
and his connection with any slate
would be viewed as participation Of
the cement group.
Secretly, the city hall group met
in the SEVERN this week to frame
it's slate.
Those present, It was said, were:
John Berry, city asphalt plant
superintendent; Charles Burkline,
Brookside park employe; Albert
Losche, city purchasing agent; Will
bur Winship, street commissioner;
Bowman Elder, sixth ward chair
man and son of William L. Elder.
city controller; Grover Parr, chief
inspector of the weights and
measures departme ent; William
Clauer, Fifth ward chairman, and
several others.
In a session marked by much
wrangling and bitter recrimination,
they are said to have patched to-
gether a tentative slate, pairing on
several offices for the time being in
order to test strength.
Decide on Wilson
Stating of Herbert M. Spencer,
former city prosecutor, for county
prosecutor was contested bitterly by
those who were impressed by the
bar association poll, and it was de-
cided to indorse also Herbert E..
Wilson for the time being.
The bitterest battle occurred on
the choice for judge of superior
court five, with the majority favor
ing Russell j. Ryan.
To strengthen their position the
slate makers divided up their
choices so that the slate would in
clude names Of those supposed to
be favored by Barrett and Keach.
Several Of the candidates recon-
mended for Stating already have
been solicited for campaign contri-
buttons, it was declared, and enemies
of the city hall group declare that
the entire project is merely a
money-making plan.
Cites Bar Poll
Keach as county chairman has
been maintaining a more or less
disinterested attitude, but he is
known to have declared that the
bar association poll is the best in
dication of who should be sup
ported by the county organization.
Barrett's slate includes several
apparently sure losers, and he has
been straining every effort to OBJ
tain support for these candidates.
There is no doubt a bitterness
between the always antagonistic
groups and entrance in the primary
of Democrats who held good city
positions has added fuel.