Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 February 1908 — SENATOR WOOD [ARTICLE]

SENATOR WOOD

Resented Roosevelt's Dictation of Candidate. MADE HOT REPLY TO THE HISSES From the Administration Delegates That Greeted His Remarks—Machine Controled Convention. The republican district convention held Tuesday to select delegates and alternates to the national convention was not the harmonious meeting that the rank and file of the party would have desired. Senator Will R. Wood of Lafayette and George Ade of Newton county were the avowed candidates for delegates, and up to a day or two before the oovention seemed to have no opposition. Several of the delegates to the convention arrived in the city Monday and then a deal was consumated to defeat Wood and elect the rather more notorious than famous “Kit” Sill of Monticello in place of Mr. Wood. This jcame about it is charged, through ’ Mr. Wood refusing to stand hitched to the Rooseveltian eandidate, Taft, after Indiana’s candidate—he of cocktail notoriety—stood no show for landing the nomination. Mr. Wood told the administration appointees—who were all here as delegates—that he was for Fairbanks as long as there was any show for him, but after that he had no choice.

Practically all of Monday night and the forenoon of the convention day was spent in “caucusing” and everything was cut and dried before the convention assembled in the opera house at 1:30 p. m. The usual preliminaries were then gone through with, district chairman Hickey of Laporte being chosen chairman of the meeting and J. M. Mavity of the Valparaso Vidette, secretary, with the republican editors as assistant secretaries, although uoue of them were in evidence on the stage. Chairman Hickey iB a smoothfaced young man with a peculiar drawl to his voice that occasions numerous smiles when he speaks. He is a Laporte lawyer and this peculiarity has no doubt been acquired in handling his mixed clientage of that bailiwick. There was no contested delegations and everything moved along smoothly for awhile. Senator Bowser of Chesterton was chairman of the resolutions committee and the resolutions lauded Roosevelt and heaped enoomiums without stint on “Indiana’s distinguished citizen,” Vice President Fairbanks, and told of the “unparalleled prosperity” the republican party had given the country. Senator Fremont Goodwine of Williamsport was endorsed for lieutenant goverfiof and Judge Gillett for renomination to the supreme bench. Both gentleman were present and thanked the convention for the endorsement, the brief remarks of Senator Goodwine elictiug the greatest applause of the meeting. Then oame the selection of delegates to the national convention. George Ade, the famous playwright and author, was elected by acclamation and on roll call of counties Senator Wood of Lafayette and “Kit” Sill of Montioello were placed in nomination, the vote by counties being as follows: Sill Wood Benton 5 4 {asper...... y .ake 23 Laporte 23 Newton 4.65 2.35 Porter 11 Tippecanoe 26 White... 8.30 2.70 Warren 9 Total 81.95 44.02 After tbe vote was reoorded—but it was never announced to the convention —Mr. Wood got up to move that Mr. Sill’s eleotion be made unanimous, and in doing l so he told the delegates a few things that evidently did not set well with some of them, and he was cheered on one side of the house and hissed on the other. Senator Wood stated, among other things, that this was not the first time he had ever went down to defeat in a republican convention, but that it was the most humiliating defeat be bad ever suffered; that he had

voted three times for Mr. Fairbanks’ election as United Slates Senator, onoe when the latter was defeated and twice when he was elected; that Fairbanks was his friend, and that the action of the delegates demonstrate d that they did not want Fairbanks nominated. Many of the delegates, he stated, had pledged him their hearty supg>rt and that until he arrived in •nsselaer he did not suppoee that he had any opposition. This opposition he openly charged, came direot from Washington and from Congressman Crumpacker, who at the administration’s behest was for Taft, was meant by Mr. Wood’s remarks. I‘Crumpacker can’t dictate to me,” he declared. “I have enough manhood about me to decline to bow the knee to such dictation, but you delegates to this convention have sold yourselves and elected a man in my stead who has promised to be the tool of this dictation,” Hisses greeted these remarks, but the speaker continued: “I have heard snakes hiss before and I fear them not.” “Jim” Kregg, a well known Thayer saloon keeper, who was a delegate from Newton county, enlived the proceedings at this stage by yelling, “And this is a ‘dry’ town, too.” Jim’s break brought down the house, and after the applause had subsided the Senator from Tippecanoe poured more hot shot at the delegates, which became so pointed that one big duffer from the north end of the district- —the saloon end—yelled in a threatening manner, “Who? Who done this?” and for a moment it looked like he meant to do the speaker bodily harm. We have not the space to go into further detail of Senator Wood’s defiant charges, but what he said to the delegates, charging among other things that the present district chairman was “Crumpacker’s chairman,” was a-plenty, and they knew that all he said was true, too. As a matter of fact Mr. Wood’s charges were absolutely true. Crumpacker sent frantic telegrams to the politicians to “stand by tbe administration" whatever else they did, and it was Wood’s independence that defeated him, as he stated in very vigorous language, and the charge now being made that “Wood was drunk” is far from correct. !iKit” Sill does not bear an enviable reputation in his own county, and it was evident that the administration stand-patters had a hard time to get the delegates from White to give him the vote that they did. There was a great deal of delay in those delegates voting and considerable discussion and loud talk before their vote was finally annonnced which was evidence that many voted for him against their better judgment and dedesires. The party whip is a great thing. After this pleasing—to democrats —diversion the smooth and oily Mr. Sill was called upon and briefly thanked the convention for the honor bestowed upon him, as had previously Mr. Ade. Then oame the election by acclamation of Geo. A. Williams of Rensselaer and Warren Simpkins of Benton county as alternate delegates. Daniel Fraser, the well known Fowler attorney, was also ohoseu as au elector on the national tioket by acclamation, and the convention adjourned.