Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 102, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1910 — DEMOCRATIC CONTENTION NAMES KERN FOR SENATOR. [ARTICLE]

DEMOCRATIC CONTENTION NAMES KERN FOR SENATOR.

Adopts Governor’s Finn, Routs Taggart and Decides on Indianapolis Lawyer for Place. > By a vote of to 858 % the democratic state convention at Lafayette Thursday decided to accept the plan of Governor Marshall to have the convention name the man that should receive the election to the United States Senate in case of democratic victory. Speeches in favor of the governor’s plan were made and also , against the plan. Tom Taggart was opposing the plan, favoring the old manner of -election. The argument was intense but not bitter and when the vote was taken and the narrow margin of 30 was shown for the plan of Governor Marshall the friends of the plan were very jubilant and declared that it meant the doom of Taggart’s control and a new era in democratic politics in Indiana. Tom did not propose to be easily whipped, however, and when nominations for the candidates for senator were called Smiling Tom was placed before the convention along with the eleven men who sought the office.

Oh the first ballot Kern received 303 votes and Taggart 228. John Lamb was only 2 votes behind Taggart. The Jasper county delegates split their first vote, giving 4 to Becker, of Hammond, and 4 to Sims, of Lafayette. On the second ballot Kerp received 64(7 votes. Lamb fell back to 204, Slack was third with 157, and Taggart, who had announced the withdrawal of name, received but 14 Votes. A third ballot was taken and Kern’s vote increased, notwithstanding his attempt to decline the nomination, and there being an apparent stampede for the oft-defeated lawyer, John Lamb, the Terre Haute candidate, and the most formidable of the other candidates, withdrew his name and moved to make the Kern nomination unanimous. Kern was called for but he had disappeared. He would not state to a reporter whether or not he would make the race, but indicated that he would. He promised to give out a atatement the following day. It is probable that the rivalry stirred up, while apparently in harmony, will not be easily overcome and that some of the defeated’ candidates will not be very energetic workers in the cause of democracy during the coming campaign. While Taggart was himself defeated in his opposition to the governor’s plan and in his own effort to be nominated, it is claimed that he was really in favor of the Kern candidacy, as that well known lawyer was his chief counsel in his famous French Lick gambling cases. Taggart says he is prefectly happy with the result and it is hard to tell when he is telling the truth. The following ticket was nominated by the convention: For secretary of state, Lew EllingDecatur. For auditor or state, William H. O'Brien, Lawrenceburg. For treasurer of state, W. H. Vollmer, Vincennes. For attorney general, Thomas M. Honan, Seymour. For clerk of the supreme court, J. Fred France, Huntington. For superintendent of public instruction, Robert J. Aley, Indianapolis. For statistician, Thomas Brolley, North Vernon. r For geologist, Edward Barrett, of Plainfield. For judge supreme court, 2nd district, Douglas Morris, Rushville. Eor judge supreme court, 3rd district,. Charles E. Cox, Ihdianapolis. For judge appellate court, northern district, Joseph Ibach, Hammond; M. B. Lairy, Logansport; Andrew Adams, Columbia City. For judge appellate court, southern district, M. B. Hottel, Salem; E. W. Felt, Greenfield.