Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-15
Departure Of WiI|kie
Uncoyers |ndiana's
Masked Batteries
RivoI Organizations Now
Feel Free to Open Up
With Bomburdments
BY WILLIAM L. TOMS,

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 14.-Almost
simultaneously with departure of
Wendell L. Willkie on his Western
campaign tour the two opposing
State organizations of Indiana
opened the bombardment that will
continue until the November cleo
ton.
Insofar as the Republican group
was concerned, the erstwhile quiet
was due partly to<deference to the
party nominee for President, who is
a show all by himself. With regard
for the capacity and oratory of the
several individuals on the Republican
State ticket there is none yet with
the ability to steal applause from
Mr.. Willkie, despite the fact that he
is unorthodoX by the Hoosier politi-
cal yardstick. With Mr.. Willkie out
of the State the Republican organi-
zation felt it might properly move
into action for its State ticket.
AS the party in power the Demo-
Gratis have remained quiet for
reasons equally disturbing. The
paucity of Roosevelt tags on auto
mobiles these last few days is just
as significant of a difficulty in find
ing takers as of an inability to supply
the demand. The F. D. R. tags have
been available both at Democratic
State headquarters and at the To-
cent stores and at those places they
have been seen in greatest abun-
dance. 1t is conceivable that the
Democratic State organization, also
was a little chary about stacking
its own oratory up against that of
the skillful debater, Mr.. Willkie.
Formal Tag Day Set.
Riding down the main thorough
fare of the Hoosier capital a few
days ago this correspondent counted
81 machines decorated with Roose-
welt tags and exactly twice that
number with the tin Willkie tags
which cost the purchaser 25 cents
each. 1t became so obvious that
Mr.. Willkie was the leader in this
polling device the Democratic organ
ization made announcement that on
a certain day the formal appearance
of the F. D. R. tags was to be ex-
pected.
Now with Nominee Willkie out
of the State, an old-fashioned In
diana campaign is in motion, with
the prospect of some knock down-
-drag-out tactics. Opening fire
was a statement by Archie N. Bob
bitt, G. o. P. State chairman, that
the Democratic State organization
was stunning its national ticket in
and the machine on which it Is de-
pending for success. Herein Mr.
Bobbitt had his hands on something
tangible, for there have been open
remarks by Democratic organization
folk that the Willkie threat bothered
them much less than the necessity
of bringing out a straight party vote
for the State slate.
Another Influence, Too.
Something else. too. might have
Influenced Bobbitt to issue a state
ment which contained, among other
things. prediction of victory for the
G. o. P. State ticket. On the other
side of the fence it had been bruited
about that the Republican organiza-
ton had so fallen so completely
under the Willkie spell that the
State ticket was losing Importance
The ultimate effect probably will
be to drive both parties back into
line, reducing the proportion of
ticket-splitting and casting the bal
ance of political power back into the
hands of the minorities-the colored
and foreign born voters in the larger
cities and the farmers and labor
groups elsewhere.
The Democratic campaign swung
into action at the editorial asso-
citation outing at French Lick and
provided Senator Minton with one
of the few opportunities he is likely
to have for electioneering in Indiana
this year.