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14
THE COURIER
POINTS IN POLITICS.
THE publication of Mr. Bryan's letter, closely followed by tho
call for the free silver conference, has excited a great deal of
interest in this Btate, notwithstanding the attempts of Mr.
Annin, the Washington correspondent of the Journal, to throw cold
wateron the congressman's spectacular play. That tho call for a free
silver conference was act io. 2 in a concerted scheme for the for
mation of a now Bryan party in Nebraska, there is no doubt It
will meet with active opposition on the part of old lino democrats,
and some independents who are in favor of keeping their party
organization intact. Tho democrats and populists whose only pol
litical principle is their worship of Mr. Bryan, will of course, gladly
fall into line under tho banner of Mr. Bryan and free silver. But
democrats like J. Sterling Morton and Albert Watkins and N. S.
Harwood have some influence within their party, and that influence
will be exerted to the utmost to defeat the schemo of Mr. Bryan for
queering the democratic party. These mer have something of a pull
in tho manipulation of state conventions, as Mr. Bryan will find out
when the regular democratic state convention is held. Tho entire
strength of the administration in this state will be used against the
congressman, and tho effect may be disastrous to the soaring ambi
tion of that gentleman.
It has been noticed that Mr. Tommy Allen is one of the enthusias
tic supporters of tho free silver conference. Now, Mr. Allen is an
employe of the government and as such is ostensibly an administra
tion democrat. In this instance his zeal for Mr. Bryan seems to
.have overcome his obligation to the administration, and he must
find himself in a very embarassing position, because the freo silver
project which he advocates, is very distasteful to Mr. Cleveland
and his friends. Mr. Harley also is in a predicament. His sympa
thies, of course, are with Mr. Bryan, but holding an important gov
ernment position with a lucrative salary thereto attached, he will
doubtless find it very profitable to maintain a diplomatic reticence.
It has been held by some democrats that Mr. Bryan does not
desire the nomination for governor; that he would prefer to have
some one else nominated and then take the stump for that man,
for the state ticket and for himself as a candidate for the United
States senate. But there is little doubt but that the congressman
would much prefer to be nominated for governor himself by the
populists and democrats and try to climb into the senate through
the executive office. There are a good many men in the populist
party as well as in the democratic party who are opposed to Mr.
Bryan for this office because they want it themselves and for other
reasons, and the scheme to make Bryan a gubernatorial candidate
will meet ith a good many more or less serious obstacles. Mr.
Gaffin and the Schraders and the Elders and even Mayor Weir, will
have no acute desire to see Mr. Bryan secure this nomination.
They will block up the way. There are not as many democrats who
desire a nomination for governor, as there are populists, but the
anti Bryanites will doubtless find some onoof their number willing to
sacrifice himself in order to help defeat the congressman.
A review of the situation at this time seems to develop the fact
that while there may be a so-called new party.or fusion, there will,
nevertheless be three or four distinct and regularly nominated can
didates for governor. So that the way before Mr. Bryan is not by
any means clear.
The republican situation is somewhat changed. Three months
ago McColl had not yet announced his candidacy, and Mr. Raymond
of this city was still a dark horse. Tom Majors was the only open and
avowed candidate and everything, apparently, 6ecmed to be coming
his way. It was freely predicted that he would be nominated on
the first ballot, with practically noopposition; but the times and con
ditions have changed. Jack McColl, who had for months been
- working up his"case, suddenly jumped into tho breach and now for
the past thirty days there has been a very rapid acceleration in the,
movement of the McColl boom, principally in the western part of
the state. The McColl shouters have a way of making a vast
amount of noise. There was an hegira of McCollites toward Omaha
last week, the occasion being the. meeting of the republican state
central committee. To all intents and purposes this meeting was
really a 6ort of a preliminary McColl convention. It became early
manifest that the organization of the republican state central com
mittee was not only opposed to Majors; but was strongly in favor of
McColl's candidacy,. Col. Majors had some few followers present,
and these gentlemen asserted that there was no special significance
in tho demonstration at Omaha, that their time would come later, at
the state convention. It is known that Majors himself is entirely
confident, and that he will fight to the end.
Tho announcement of Mr. I. M. Raymond's candidacy caused
something of a change in the political situation. The fact that Mr.
Raymond is in the same part of the state with Tom Majors and in a
county where the latter expected to receive considerable support,
has had the effect of materially weakening Majors. At first it seem
ed as though Raymond's strength, should he receive the endorse
ment of Lancaster county, would como very largely from Majors
men. But later indications are that he would also draw from tho
western part of the state, as' well as from tho cast. The expressions
of newspapers in Mr. McColl's district, and letters received by Mr.
Raymond and his friends in this city, would show that there is a
strong tendency in tho western part of the state to give Raymond a
show. Mr. Raymond is looked upon as a representative businesss
man and there seems to bo a sentiment, more or less general, thit it
would not be a bad idea to nominate for governor a man who is
something besides a politician; It has been urged by Majors' men
that Mr. Raymond's candidacy is in the interest of Jack McColl.
Nothing could be more absurd than this. Raymond is not a man to
make a bluff of this sort. Ho is, as is very well known, in the raco
for himself alone. He has nothing in common with either Majors
or McColl. Ho thinks there is a fair prospect that he may receive
the nomination, and he is determined to use all honorable means to
secure it.
Although there are many candidates for state offices in this
county it looks as though the situation in Lancaster would simmer
down to a straight out and out contest between Raymond for gover
nor and R. E. Moore, for lieutenant governor. Mr. Raymond will
of course have his own ward, the Third, and probably several others,
also some outside precincts, to begin with. Mr. Moore will have to
fight for his ward. L. L. H. Austin, candidate for state superinten
dent of public instruction, is thoroughly in earnest in his desire to
secure that office, and he will contest every inch of the ground in
the Fifth ward with Mr. Moore. Apparently a large majority of
the active workers in that precinct are for Austin, and very thorough
work will be done in his behalf. It looks now as though Austin
would secure the ward. F. D. McClusky of the Fifth is also a can
didate for the nomination for Btate superintendent of public in
struction, and Tom Munger of the same ward wants to be nominat
ed for representative.
The Sixth ward as usual bobs up with a spirited fight. Col. L. C.
Face and Paul F. Clark are both possessed of an enthusiastic desire
to become members of the next legislature and receive 8300 for
three months service and have the privilege of having Hon. prefixed
to their names. Mr. Clark as tho president of tho Young Men's
Republican club naturally has the support of the young men in his
ward; ho is also fortunate in having on his side the factors that have
achieved success in the recent political campaigns in that precinct.
John C. Fremont McKesson of Emerald precinct, who has been
mentioned for almost every office in the state from congressman
down, will probably" content himself with running for the house of
representatives again. Owing to the multiplicity of candidates for
state offices in Lancaster county, it is hardly probable that he would
venture to apply for the nomination for secretary of state.
So far there has been nothing done in the way of preparing for
the republican state league convention to be held in this city on the
12th of June. The Young Men's Republican-club through its execu
tive committee will, however, show its accustomed activity and wili
doubtless see to it that the delegates to the state convention are re
ceived in a proier manner. Lancaster county will have between 150
and 200 delegates in the convention, all of whom will be for W. F.
Collins, for the president of the state league. Mr. Collins "has also
the assurance of support from other counties, the First con-
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