Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 103, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 March 1920 — KILKENNY CATS STILL LOOSE [ARTICLE]

KILKENNY CATS STILL LOOSE

“Hi” Johnson After G. O. P. Political Machine Manipulators. Senator Hiram W. Johnson will fight bossism and machine operations with all of his old-time vigor in his campaign for the presidency, according to a letter received Tues--day by Zell C. Swain, Indiana campaign manager, from Angus McSween, Johnson’s eastern manager. Mr. McSween voices displeasure over the manner in which delegates to the Republican national convention were selected in New \ork. “The operations of the machine are becoming more apparent every day,” says Mr. McSween’s letter. “Delegates came here a few weeks ago to attend an unofficial state convention. They were called upon to indorse four men for delegates at large, previously nominated by the ‘organization.’ The delegates to this unofficial convention themselves had no voice in the selection of the Big Four/ The ‘Big Four’ were simply shoved down the party’s throat by the machine, and the party is expected to swallow the dose and like it. - ‘‘The district delegates are of the same hand-picked sort, who can be ‘delivered’ at this 1920 convention just as they have been delivered in the past. “We have been advised by members of the organization not to make a fight in New York by running delegates of our own. Is there any other way by which we can obtain an expression of the public sentiment, which we feel certain is behind Senator Johnson’s candidacy? “Senator Harding’s campaign manager in a recent interview said that about 2 o’clock on Friday afternoon of the convention week a group of perhaps 20 men will gather around a table in a private room and somebody will say: ‘Well, who are we going to nominate?’ And right then the nominee will be chosen. “In other words, it is practically conceded that 20 men will pick the nominee, and not the convention that is supposed to represent the will of the party as’ a whole. To me this is a shameful confession of machine domination of party affairs.” —lndianapolis Star.