The Lake County Times

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE RETURNS FROM TRIP

TIMES BUREAU, AT STATE CAPITAL.

Indianapolis, Ind., June 14.-John E. Reed, republican candidate for auditor of state, has returned from a trip through the north and northeastern part of the state, and he brings home optimistic news in regard to the conditions among the republicans of that section. He says prospects are better now than they have been at any time this year, and that he is sure that they will continue to improve. Mr. Reed attended county conventions at South Bend, Auburn and other places while he was away. His trip was a part of the program outlined weeks ago by which all of the candidates on the state ticket were to spend much time in attending the county conventions all over the state.

This was decided on by the candidates themselves as an important part of the campaign, and all of the candidates are assigned to the conventions and meetings which they are to attend.

All In Good Shape.

"I found everything in good shape," said Mr. Reed, yesterday. "In fact, everything was better and the reports were much more encouraging than I had even hoped to find. The republicans in the north part of the state are lined up for the ticket. You do not hear any of them say they are not going to vote the ticket this year. In fact, the democrats are in a worse condition up there than the republicans--a great deal worse.

Senator Shively has a strong following in the north half of the state, as well as in the extreme southern part, and his friends are good and sore this year over the charge made by John W. Kern that Senator Shively was elected because eight members of the legislature of 1909 were bribed. Shively's friends do not like the idea of having this charge stand against the legislature which elected him to the high office of United States senator, and several of them told me while I was in the north part of the state that they will resent it. Kern made his charge soon after Shively was elected, and now when they are all calling on him to prove his charge he stands still and says nothing. I shall not be surprised to see Shively's friends remain sore over this thing up to the time of the election. Among the republicans there is good organization. Everything is moving along smoothly. Of course, here and there you will find a little discontent, but you find that in every party in every campaign, so it does not indicate any trouble. I feel very well pleased with what I saw and heard in the north part of the state.

An Encouraging Report.

"Another thing that was especially pleasing and encouraging was the report from the twelfth district congressional convention. It looks like the republicans would nominate Judge Owen N. Heaton of Fort Wayne for congress at their district convention on June 25, and if they do he will beat Congressman Cline, as sure as the world. Heaton is the only candidate in the field at this time, and he will undoubtedly make a strong candidate at the polls in November. He is a very popular man all over the district, and he is known as a man of much ability."

When it comes to speaking of the congressional situation in the state the republicans are well pleased also with the conditions in the sixth district, also. They point to the fact that the democrats threw down T. M. Kuhn this year when the democrats had the best chance to elect a congressman from the sixth that they have had in several years. One republican said today:

Democrats Spoiled It.

"There is no question but that the democratic situation in the sixth district this year was better than it had been for a long time, but the democrats themselves spoiled it.

Four years ago when they were looking around for a candidate to run against James E. Watson Kuhn came out and offered to take the nomination and make the campaign, although neither he nor any one else believed he had a ghost of a show to win. But he cut down the previous republican majority of about 5,000 down to about 1,500.

Because he made such a good showing that time the democrats nominated him again two years ago, and that time he did better than he did before. He came within a few hundred of defeating Congressman Barnard. He gave the republicans of the sixth district the scare of their lives. I happen to know that the state organization put in a lot of hard licks in the sixth district two years ago to elect Barnard, and if it had not done this he would probably have been beaten. And now, this year, when there was a fighting chance for the democrats to elect a congressman in that district Kuhn was out again as a candidate for the nomination, but the democrats turned him down and nominated another man. I am told that a good many of Kuhn's friends are angered over this turn in affairs and that they are going to show their anger at the polls."