Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 March 1894 — THE CAMPAIGN. [ARTICLE]

THE CAMPAIGN.

Politics Warms Up. S*pnbllcans of Indiana Entftnsed ea They Never Before Have Been. Ind lanpolls Journal. People in Indiana usually take l their politics pretty hard, and they are taking political affairs more to heart this year than they have at any time since the period just before the war. Never in the memory of the present generation has there been anything like the Republican activity displayed this yenr. In every county of the State, not excepting such Democratic Gibraltars as Allen and Sullivan counties, the Republicans find numbers of men who are not only willing but anxious to accept Republican nominations, and the general feeling pervades the party that Indiana's November election will be simply a repetition of the landslides in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Chairman Gowdy, of the Republican State committee, has just completed a tour of the State by districts, meeting in , turn the county chairmen and secretaries of each congressional district, and talking over with them the question of organization. The party is now very completely organized throughout the State upon what is probably the best system ever devised. It is so complete and compact that the voters of the State are divided up into very small neighborhoods in the country and half squares in the city, with a reliable man whose business it is to look after each of these. The reports gathered from these district meetings are of the most encouraging character. Two thorough trouncings have had the effect of uniting and harmonizing the Republicans of Indiana, while one year of the Cleveland administration has brought to the Republicans accessions that may be fairly estimated at an average of five to the voting precinct. At these district meetings the time and places of the Congressional conventions were fixed as follows: First district, Evansville. April 19; Second district, Mitchell, April 17; Third, New Albany, June 7; Fourth, Greensburg, date left open: Fifth, Greencastle, May 10; Sixth, Muncie, April 12; Seventh, Indianapolis, April 24: Eighth,Terre Haute, date left open; Ninth. Kokomo, June 6; Tenth, Hammond, May 24; Eleventh. Hartford City, May 10; Twelfth, Fort Wayne, June 28; Thirteenth, Warsaw, June,6.

The Republicans feel certain of carrying nine of these districts and believe they have even chances of carrying the other four. Even in the strong Democratic districts, like the Second, Third, Fourth and Twelfth, there are anywhere from two to six candidates hustling for the Republican nomination. The most hotly contested fights for nominations,- however, will be in the First, Fifth Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Thirteenth districts. In all these except the Tenth there are no less than half a dozen strong candidates, and the fact that the Tenth has but three is by no means to be taken as an indication that the contest there is a light one. On the contrary, the sharpest ante-convention fight in the whole State is in that district between Hon. Charles B. Landis and Judge William Johnston, of Valparaiso. The lines have to some extent been drawn there between the young and the older men, and the way the young men of the district are rallying to Mr. Landis’ support is something remarkable. Leading politicians from Logansport, Winamac and other points in the district interviewed here recently express the opinion that the younger element has somewhat the best of it. Carroll county, at its convention last week, instructed for Mr. Landis, and it is said that he has Newton and Jasper solid. The contest for places on the State ticket is right now at fever heat, as the county convention period is on, and scarcely a day passes that some county does not convene for the purpose of electing delegates. There are thirty-nine candidates for the offices at ihe disposal of the convention, and nearly half of them turn up at almost every county convention. Never in the history of the party has such an array of strong men come before a convention in Indiana as will be proposed for nominations in this city on April 25. It is a matter of current comment that the convention might go through the whole list, select the weakest men running for each nomination and still have a strong ticket. oThe perigrinations of these candidates for State offices and the activity of those whoare hustling for county nominations keep politics in the Republican party at fever heat just now, and the State committee is taking ad outage of the general activity not only to put together an invincible party organization, but as well to push the organization of Republican clubs. This latter work is well under way,and by the time the State convention rolls around it will be a mighty small hamlet in Indiana that does not boast of at least one Republican club.