USA > Indiana > History of the Indiana democracy, 1816-1916 > Part 154
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In the year 1884 Dr. Stotelmyer was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Hayes, who died in Janu- ary, 1886, leaving two children. In 1892 the Doctor married, secondly, Miss Sarah A. Brown of Wayne county.
In the fall of 1909 Dr. Stotelmyer was elected trustee of Jefferson township, his home township,
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HISTORY INDIANA DEMOCRACY-1816-1916
for a term of six years, At the expiration of this period he entered the field as candidate for joint senator from Wayne and Union counties.
Dr. Stotelmyer is affiliated with the Masonic order and with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, and is a member of the Wayne, Western Wayne and Jefferson township Democratic clubs.
EVAN B. STOTSENBURG
Evan B. Stotsenburg was born at New Albany, Indiana, May 16, 1865, the son of John H. and Jane F. (Miller) Stotsenburg. His father had been a practicing attorney at New Albany since 1852, continuing there to his death, which occurred June 7, 1909.
Evan B. Stotsenburg, after completing the grade and high school course at New Albany, attended the University of Louisville and Kenyon College, Ohio. He was admitted to the bar May 17, 1886, practicing after- ward with his father at New Albany. Following his father's retirement and death he continued to practice alone until 1900, when he formed a partnership with John H. Weathers which still continues. He represented his county in the 59th General Assembly and was state senator from 1905 to 1913, in 1911 being president pro tem of the senate. His excellent judg- ment made him always a leader in the two bodies during his terms.
In 1915 Governor Ralston appointed Mr. Stotsenburg as attorney- general, to fill out the term of Richard M. Milburn, who died while in office. He was a member of the Floyd county and State bar associations, a Mason, E'k, Knight of Pythias and one of the best Democrats in the State of Indiana. He was always one of the strongest campaigners in the State for the Democratic cause and in several campaigns was selected to make the keynote addresses.
Mr. Stotsenburg was married to Zenobia Borden in 1892.
WILLIAM MARTIN STROBEL
A gentleman who has devoted his time and energies to the upbuilding of the cause of Democracy in Clay county is William Martin Strobel. He was born in Jackson township, Clay county, on the 19th day of September, 1881, the date of the burial of President Garfield. His education was re- ceived in the public schools of the county, and later in the State Normal School at Valparaiso. After his graduation, he taught school for a number of years, later taking up clerical work, which he has followed for the past twelve years. He was formerly city councilman for the first ward in Brazil, and in the fall of 1912 was elected clerk of the circuit court, his term of office to expire in 1916. His wife was formerly Miss Mary E. Salladay and to them has been born one son. Mr. Strobel is affili- ated with the Masonic and Elks lodges.
FREDERICK STRITTER
Frederick Stritter, an active worker in the ranks of the Democracy of Vanderburg county since the year 1890 and the very efficient incumbent of the office of county recorder, is a native of Germany, his birth having oc- curred on the 23d day of March, 1849, in Wetterau. When but two and one- half years of age, however, he was brought to America by his parents, at which time they located in the East. After a short interval they emigrated to the State of Kentucky and still later settled in Mt. Vernon, Ind. Here the son Frederick received his schooling, but his education has continued until the present, as he is by nature studious and seeking at all times to en- large his fund of knowledge.
On the 16th day of January, 1884, he was united in marriage to Miss Amelia K. Schmitt, and later their home was established in Evansville.
During the Civil war Mr. Stritter was thoroughly in sympathy with the cause of the Union, and during the years immediately following this struggle he was a member of the Republican party, running for the office of Secretary
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of State in 1887. However, in 1890, being a strong adherent of a tariff for revenue only and not being in sympathy with the Republican high tariff ideas of the day, he returned to the ranks of Democracy, and since this time has labored zealously for the advancement of the cause.
Although a stanch adherent of Democratic principles, he has not been known as an office seeker, and it was not until the year 1910 that he actively entered the race for public office. In this year he was elected to the position of county recorder, and in this capacity is now serving his second term, and so far the affairs of the office have been administered with great efficiency and loyalty to the interests of the public.
FREDERICK V. STUCKY, M. D.
Dr. Frederick V. Stucky, physician and druggist of Gosport, was born in that city February 12, 1862. He attended the public schools of his home town and after graduating from the high school entered Earlham College for work in the higher branches. Later a course in medicine was pursued at the University of Louisville, from which he was graduated in the year 1884. Returning to Gos- port he entered into the active practice of his profession and there he has since remained.
Dr. Stucky is now a member of the board of pension examiners. Three times he was elected to the office of coroner, but in each instance refused to qualify for that service. He holds membership in the county and state medical associations and in the state pharmaceutical society. He also is affili- ated with the Methodist church and with the Masons and Knights of Pythias.
On December 27, 1888, Dr. Stucky was united in marriage to Miss Magnolia Campbell.
SILAS E. SWAIM
Silas E. Swaim, for a quarter of a century the editor and publisher of the Hammond Daily, is known throughout northern Indiana as a leader in the ranks of the Democracy of that section and the consistent promulgator of the principles of Thomas Jefferson.
Mr. Swaim was born in Boone county on the 6th day of January, 1865, and attended the public schools of Zionsville, and later the Ladoga Normal. Early in his career he launched into the field of journalism at Zionsville, and finding here the profession for which he seemed best fitted, he has remained with rare tenacity of purpose. In the year 1890 he established the Hammond Daily, and this organ has been long known and respected for its unvarying position on the side of right and justice and its progressive attitude on ques- tions affecting the development of the community.
On the 1st day of February, 1911, Mr. Swaim was appointed deputy oil inspector, and in this field he has also rendered valuable service to the commonwealth.
Mrs. Swaim, to whom he was united in marriage on the 15th day of September, 1888, was former- ly Miss Flota B. Wood, of Zionsville, Ind., and has been associated with Mr. Swaim and a co-worker in all his newspaper career.
Politically, Mr. Swaim has never wavered from the Democratic principles, and in the various cam- paigns through which he has passed his services to the party, by personal effort and through the col- umns of the press, have been invaluable. He is considered the best informed man in regard to Demo- cratic affairs in Lake county.
Fraternally, he is allied with K. of P., I. O. O. F., Maccabees and Woodmen.
ALLEN SWOPE
For many years a public official of Seymour and a leading citizen of Jackson county, Allen Swope is so well known that little introduction is needed in speaking of him in that community.
Mr. Swope was born in Vernon township, Jackson county, on the 14th day of January, 1856. He attended the public schools of his district and later continued his studies at Wabash College. After his marriage to Miss Laura Bain, also a native of Jackson county and Vernon township, he established his home in the city of Seymour.
In the year 1880 Mr. Swope was elected trustee of Vernon township, and so faithfully did he perform the duties of that office that he was twice re-elected. In the year 1892 he was elected representative from his county to the state legislature, and again the faithful performance of the duties involved gained his re-election twice. In November, 1909, he was elected mayor and in 1914 was appointed postmaster of Seymour.
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ANDREW M. TAFF
A true representative of Jefferson county, born and reared within its borders and for many years identified with the business and political life of the community, Andrew M. Taff is highly esteemed as a representative citizen.
Mr. Taff was born on the 16th day of January, 1855, near his present home, and attended the pub- lic schools of Jefferson county, later continuing his studies in the high schools of Scott and Clark counties. He has always taken an active interest in farming and has for many years been the pro- prietor of a successful livery and undertaking business in the town of Deputy. On the 25th day of April, 1878, he was united in marriage to Miss Emma Mills.
On the 1st day of January, 1911, Mr. Taff assumed the duties of auditor of Jefferson county, and for three years his time was devoted to this work. He has always taken an active part in the work of the Democratic organization in his community and has given freely of his time and means for the best interest of his party.
SENATOR THOMAS TAGGART
If nothing were ever written of the accomplishments of Senator Thomas Taggart in a political or in any other way until he were induced to talk of them or discuss them person- ally, then nothing would ever be written. A great part of his schooling in a successful political and business career was to keep his own counsel, to talk of these things only when he talked to some purpose looking to accomplishment. Once ac- complished, he was ever too busy with new efforts to stop to discuss what was in the past.
So it happened that whatever was to be told must be from those who had associated with him, or whatever the memory of the writer might revive. With all this there never was in this or in any other State a more interesting personage or career in either business or politics to the general reader, whether acquaintance or not.
It would be overlooking the greatest element that shaped his career of success if the writer did not stop long enough to observe that his spirit of absolute unselfishness and his efforts to serve others, without ostentation, were one of the most potent factors in his phenomenal success. Few men ever had so many friends who were always happy to claim such friend- ship. To these he assigned a large part of the credit for what he was able to do. But while he exaggerated this notion in his own mind, he was never inclined to discuss it for the one reason, no doubt, that it might presuppose he had accomplished something unusual.
Sufficient of early history to recite that when he started his business journey at Xenia, Ohio, cleaning out the depot lunch room and beating the old-fashioned gong "when the train comes in," he started as a bare-foot, dirty-face lad, for in that day they were not known as "kids." He was just a plain, uninteresting, freckle-face youngster, when the freckles could be seen under the foreign sub- stance-for one thing he freely admitted, always, was far from caring whether his face was ever washed.
One day some nice woman who thought she saw something out of the ordinary in young Taggart took the trouble to tell him how much nicer he would look if he had a clean face. It sort of set him to thinking, and he began to "spruce up" and he became the cleanest "fixture" in the lunch room. About the same time the man who was bossing the place told him about the corners of the room not being scrubbed clean, and from that time he got busy cleaning the corners and found how much nicer things looked.
He learned something then that stayed with him the rest of his life, and he never forgot the importance of impressing the same notion upon his employes at the French Lick Springs hotel. One
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of the greatest of the characteristics of that place is the absolute cleanliness of the grounds and mag- nificent buildings. They are not only so clean that they would make the gold dust twins or the sun- bonneted Dutch maidens with mops and brooms really ashamed of their untidiness, but the peculiar thing is that the guests about the place never saw any of the cleaning being done. Just how he man- ages that part of it is the Taggart invention which is different from most other hotels.
But to return to the individual. Naturally, in such a publication as this, a great part of the history of the Democratic party in Indiana must reflect and recite the individual doings of Thomas Taggart. He is a large part of the party history. He must be so from the very nature of things. Yet were the publication incomplete without some direct reference after this fashion to some of the things he did, taking largely some of those which more than anything else serve to illustrate the character and business superiority of the man.
Briefly, forced to earn in order that he might live, education of the school-room variety must take the second place. It was because a certain young public school teacher thought she saw some- thing unusual in the youngster's ability, and his wish to be taught, that she agreed to give him her evenings, or a part of them, for study and recitation of the common-school branches. While work- ing in the Xenia depot lunch room he got through this teacher whatever he got in the nature of "school learning." The rest of his substantial and practical education came from hard knocks.
When this young man had grown, and when he became United States senator from Indiana, one of the first letters to reach him, and one of the most prized, was from that school teacher. "She is married now and has a fine family of her own," he remarked as he re-read the letter, "but I will address her by her maiden name the name by which I knew her in my kid days." This letter was laid aside to be answered with pen and ink.
From gong-beater and the freckle-face pusher of brooms and mops, he went by various stages to the management of the lunch room and was glad to raise himself. Then he was transferred to northern Indiana as manager of a larger lunch room, and still later to Indianapolis to run the lunch room in the union depot. That was not only an important step upward, but it was where he started to interest himself in the active political game. The old depot was a sort of center for the leaders who formed the working organization, and Thomas Taggart was soon one of them. Sooner than they had anticipated he was their leader. They were glad to follow him, for he had shown them how to do things that spelled success.
His ambition extended beyond the management of the lunch room even of the Indianapolis union depot, and he opened the Grand hotel, which not only remained the center of the Democratic party activities of the state for a number of years, but also was a most successful hotel property under the Taggart management. It was the beginning of the Taggart hotel successes.
It was about this time that Mr. Taggart decided to become a candidate for office on his own ac- count. He had spent a number of years and much efforts putting others into official positions. That had been his pleasure. He became the candidate of his party for the office of auditor of Ma- rion county. Twice he was elected; each time with an increasingly bitter fight from the opposition press, since his popularity was developing into a dangerous thing for the opposing party to meet.
When first nominated for auditor he was none too flush with funds. So the story has been told that one of those big-hearted, old-fashioned and frugal Irish women who had been in his employ for a long time, one much older than himself, and at least more thoughtful for the future comforts, had saved a good part of her earnings; that she came forward and placed her savings at his disposal with: "Tommy, my boy, you have no money to make your race. You have always spent all your money to get things for the other boys. You are going to be elected sure. Use this to help make it sure."
He took the money. He probably never used a cent of it, but put it in the bank to keep for her. He would not have hurt her feelings by refusing her the happiness of participating in his success. When he became United States senator there was another letter in the mail to congratulate him. It carried a postmark from some place over in Illinois. He read it through several times, for it was brief, and his only comment was, "There is a dear old soul," as he laid it aside for a special answer. It has been told, though not by Senator Taggart, that the woman who wrote the letter is living in a pretty little home over in Illinois, in the town of her nativity.
In his last race for county auditor Mr. Taggart's opponent was a friend and neighbor and one who could ill afford the expenses of his campaign. The morning after election day the two of them met on the rear platform going down town. "How much did it cost you, Bill?" was one of the Tag- gart questions. They rode on down town together. They went to the bank together and in some man- ner "Bill," no matter about his real name, knew that his bank account had been made whole. He went to his job that morning feeling much better satisfied with the outlook for the wife and kiddies.
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HISTORY INDIANA DEMOCRACY-1816-1916
During his second term as auditor Mr. Taggart became candidate for mayor of Indianapolis, re- signing his county office to make the race. Three times he was elected mayor, and each time with in- creased newspaper abuse and increased majorities. The newspaper comment on the result on one occasion, following the campaign in which President Benjamin Harrison was called upon to take part and did take part in the fight against him, was that "it was impossible, even with the influence of the president thrown into the fight, to break the solid vote of the Democrats or to keep hundreds of Re- publicans who are special friends and admirers of Thomas Taggart from voting for him. He led his ticket by at least several hundred." This from the paper that fought him most bitterly.
When Mr. Taggart decided for the time being to retire from holding office and devote himself to his personal affairs, taking over the French Lick Springs hotel properties, the newspapers which had fought him politically rejoiced in the clearing of the political situation and proceeded to do all in their power to destroy or prevent his business success. Nothing known to the art of destroying other men's legitimate business was ever overlooked by these agencies to make whatever he did a failure. He never knew a business failure. The abuse by the press was because he would not retire from polit- ical activities of all sorts. Despite the destructive methods used against him, and because of the busi- ness acumen of Thomas Taggart, his success grew to one of the most remarkable in rapidity and size of development that has ever been accomplished in the hotel world.
His power in political things never decreased. His one diversion was politics and doing things for his friends. He liked "to help the boys along," as he expressed it. His influence in party affairs for years was national. No other man was ever more continuously and conspicuously a factor in shaping the doings of both state and national conventions. No other man ever did these things more successfully or with so little ostentation or apparent effort. He always chose to make himself the least conspicuous worker about any convention, but his hand was the deciding power in shaping re- sults. In the conventions which named Grover Cleveland, the men who attended from other states have told many times how "Tom Taggart was the general who kept things moving to results."
In 1904 at St. Louis, where Parker was named as the party candidate, Mr. Taggart incurred some eternal enmities because of his opposition to others who, he believed, would be less desirable to the voters of the nation than Alton B. Parker.
In 1908 Mr. Taggart was again the recognized leader of the Democratic national convention at Denver. That was when John Worth Kern was named as the running mate of William Jennings Bryan. At the time of holding the convention Mr. Taggart was national chairman. As a token of their appreciation of his "know-how" in doing things that amount to something, the other leaders who had followed presented him a Rocky Mountain "canary"-one having the largest ears, the most determined looking disposition and the loudest "hee-haw" of the species. They delivered it to his room on the ninth floor of the Brown Palace hotel during his absence, and tied it to the bed.
The convention at Baltimore, one of the most important in the history of the country, as later developments demonstrated beyond any chance of dispute, is best described by William F. McCombs, to whom was ascribed the credit for nominating Woodrow Wilson, and to whose persistent efforts the results were of course due, notwithstanding all that was said of the Bryan performances. But Mc- Combs did not claim it all by a whole lot. He paid tribute to the generalship of Thomas Taggart.
Sitting in the lobby of the big French Lick Springs hotel, some months after Woodrow Wilson had been elected and when the second nomination was the thing before the people, Mr. McCombs pointed to the little office away across the big space and remarked: "There is the real general who made Woodrow Wilson president and Thomas R. Marshall vice-president. I was there and I ought to know. I was given lots of credit for nominating Wilson because I had carried on the fight long before the convention met. Without the seasoned generalship of Tom Taggart in the convention it might never have happened as it did. He knew when and how to make the move and turn. He had worked through the long hours and days and nights, being never far in the foreground, shap- ing things in such a way that at the proper moment he could control the finishing moves. The big con- vention had never got to the point, in all the excitement and turmoil, where the proper thing to do could not be shown them.
"The night before the nomination was made I had gone to my room entirely worn out. Sleep had been the last thing to think about. I was afraid if I went to sleep something might happen to my candidate's chances. It was about ten o'clock that night when a boy came to my room and asked if I would please go to the room of William Jennings Bryan. Of course I went, wearing only my bathrobe. When I went in I shall not forget the sight. Bryan standing with his profile facing me; and never turning. His hair was all in a frenzy. Suspenders down .. Big trousers bagging at the knees and sagging from the belt. Loose, spreading carpet slippers. Brown Nebraska undershirt. You can imagine the picture as the army of stenographers and secretaries scurried to cover.
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"Without turning his face toward me he drew his lips in a tight straight line and proceeded:
"'McCombs, Wilson can never be nominated. Clark can never be nominated. Marshall surely can never be nominated. We must put forward a progressive Democrat for the presidency.'
"'Bryan,' I answered him, 'I could reach out my hand and touch the progressive Democrat you mention. You have sent for the last man in the convention you ought to have called. If this is all you have to say it is not even interesting. Good night.' He made no response and I left him stand- ing looking at the wall.
"I went straight to the room of Tom Taggart. I told him what had passed between Bryan and me. Then I simply said: 'How does Wilson look to you at this time as our man for president?' His answer was: 'McCombs, how does Tom Marshall look to you for vice-president?' 'Fine,' I as- sured him, 'as the running mate of Woodrow Wilson.' We agreed. The next day, Taggart having his forces entirely ready for action, Wilson was soon nominated.
"Then, as we had agreed, and as both of us like to keep our agreements, I walked through the aisles of the convention, visiting each delegation, and passing the word that Wilson wanted Tom Marshall for his running mate, having Wilson's word to that effect in advance, and the whole job was soon over. It was over and a good job, because Tom Taggart is the sort of general that knows how, and who does things in the proper way and at the proper time."
Added to this testimonial, here is a part that comes by repetition from neither of the principals, but is related by one of two others present. Mr. Taggart was at lunch in the Denison hotel at Indi- anapolis with two of the Indiana delegates to the Baltimore convention. They had just reached home. Thomas R. Marshall, who was still governor of Indiana, and had just been nominated for vice-presi- dent, crossed the dining room to shake hands with the party, saying as he did so: "I want you to know, Tom Taggart, that I know and fully appreciate that you nominated me for vice-president; that it was your work alone that placed me on the ticket; and I want to thank you most heartily."
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