Backroom Brawl: Hoosier Politics Turn Ugly

August 25, 1928, was a day of bitter politicking in Indianapolis as the Republican party’s grip on power began to slip. Charles D. Hilles, a national committee man from New York, had been waging a behind-the-scenes battle against Herbert Hoover’s presidential ambitions. And now, it seemed, the gloves were off. Hilles’ handpicked candidate, H. Edmund Machold, had been installed as the new Republican State chairman, a move that was seen as a direct attack on Hoover’s chances. The power question was at the heart of the issue, a major economic problem that rivaled agriculture in importance on the campaign trail. And with Al Smith’s acceptance speech fresh in the minds of voters, it was clear that this was going to be a presidential election like no other.