Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-03-17
BEFORE THE B.iTTL
Tie SPeakcrsElip Contest.

Speakersh1p contest; as they are not the case
Is involved In doub'. There are at least twenty
Rlepres eDtatives circulating between the head
quarters Of both the leading competitors, pledy-
ing their allegiance to each, but VINO really
have 10 preference except to be on the winning
slde To-day the outside opinion seems to be
with Randall. Those who congre,ate in the
hotel lobbies declare that he will be elected on
the hfst ballot. and that Blackburn will not get
over forty votes. 1t is plain to the dtspas-
slonate observer that Randall. or at least his
IrleroS, underestimate the canvass OF Mr..
Black burn. There is no Disgusting the fact
that the latter has strong following. What
enters largely into the contest is the f1nancia
issue. Randall is supposed to represent the
financial views Of the eastern or hard money
democracy and Blackburn the "Ohio idea
L ncer this impression there can be no doubt
that many of the western men who personally
prefer Randall will vote for Blackburn. This
Is notably SO OF
THE OHIO DELEGATION.
Randall all along has claimed eight votes from
that state, and the outlook is that he will re-
ceive but one. The delegation met to-day at
the rooms Of Judge Geddes, No. 1903 f street.
After full exchange OF views 1t was found
That TIE delegation stood as foliOwS:-For Ran
dal!, Mr.. iurd. For Blackburn, MacMahon,
lie Fevre, GeGdes. Warner, Ewing, Finley and
AtEerton. Fer Cox, Messrs. Hill and Converse
lie two latter declared that they would vote
Tor Blackburn II the contest narrowed down be
tween Randall and Blackburn. 1t is conceded
Ohio and Missouri delegations hold
THE BALANCE OF POWER
General Warner, OF Ohio, says that there Is no
contingency which can arise whereby Ra ndall
can get over three votes in Ohio Mr. Hurd sure
and Messrs: Finley and lie Fevre, who are con-
slGeIed shaky, owing to other influences in Ohio
which control them to certain extent.
There is one feature Of the situation which is
now plain; that is that enough democrats Will go
INTO caucus to control the selection in the
House, and that whoever may be
THE CAUBUS NOMINEE WILL BE ELECTED.
1t Is plain, too, that but two names, those of
Blackburn and Randall will be formally pre-
sented in caucus although S. S.Cox will receive.
without the fOrmality of nomination, from ten
10 seventeen votes. 1t was estimated at noon
to-day that there would be l45 democrats here
Dy tonight.
ARRIVED TO-DAY
Whitaker, who has made q lightning run
from San Francisco, got here this morning, and
was captured by Sergeant-at-Arms Thompson
In Randalls interest, and taken to the Riggs
mouse. The last OF the Missouri men also ar
rived to- day, Erastus Wells, having his colleague
uay) In his charge. The latter is still quite i'll,
ard would not have come to the city had the
democrats had larger majority In The lower
House than they now have.
AT THE RANDALL HEADQUARTERS
this morning there was refreshing confidence
displayed. Those who are managing the can
vass for MIR. Randall say that one ballot will
eId the contest; that their favorite Will get
DlLety votes. and that Blackburn will not get
over f0rty-fye. This they cOncede to the Ken
tuckian.
THE BLACKBURN MEN.
on the other hand, feel just as confident. They
estimated at noon that he has seventy-e eight
votes as firm as the everlasting hills and a
dozen more which Will drift to him il they are
needed There Is ohe thing certain and that 1s
IIat some one Will be disappointed tonight
There can be 10 doubt but that both Randall
and Blackburn feel that they have their elec-
t1On sue. Some promises have perhaps been
made that Will not be kept. There seems to b,
about ten or fifteen voters waiting to tumble In
when the winning card shows up Il little clearer
than 1t now appears.
THE GREENBAcKERs
claim that Judge Kelley is with them The.
nave letter from him to the effect that he
will not be able to be in Washington until to
morrow noon, but that lie Will proceed at once
upon his arrival to the Metropolitan hotel aud
they may take. Mr. Phelps of Conneoticur arl
the nationals, will go with the democra c :au
Gus, AID the nationals now cOncede It,
THE VIRGINIA DELEGATION.
Gen. Joe Johnston, OF Virginia. at half-pas
two O'Clock this afternoon visited Col BLACK
burn at his quarters in Willard's and assured
him that he would not only vote for him but
ZealOusly work for him. This makes the Vir-
g,na GINA. a@elegation @ stand as iollows:.For Black
and Richmond. For Randall: John y. Harris
Doubtful: X. l.. T. Beale.
THE MISSOURI DELEGATION
It is claimed that Blackburn has five votes At
least in the Missouri delegation as follows viz:
Bland, Waddell, Clark, Hatch and Frost. Col.
Morrison, OF Illinois, who is especially coaching
the delegation, claims one more.
THE REPUBLICANS OF THE HOUSE
VI q OF nsn %k,to
the hall Of the House, at which Hon. jaime,
Garfield, OF Ohio, will be unanimously nomi-
dated as the republican candidate for the
SIeakership.
THE SITUATION AS WE GO TO PRESS
may be summed up as doubtful" Randall has
the most confident backer5 although it is notice
able that there Is but little betting, and abso-
lutely no pool selling. For wonder, too, to-
6o,s gay snerS Is @ out little excitement about the
noisy kind. The whisky bottle is not now
Potent factor, but both sides are getting in
some naro work-of diplomatic kind.
BLACKBURN ESTIMATE.
At ten O'Clock to-day the Blackburn men made
the following estimate:
For Randall-Alabama 4, Arkansas I, Conne:
tcut Delaware /, Florida 2, Georgia :. illinois
!, Indiana 4, Louisiana 2, Maryland L. MasSa-
chusetts 1, Mississippi2, Missouri 2. New Jersey
svN New YORK l. Norm or Caroline B. Ohio Penn
tcouCA SdI lcniltSSec6 u, VcXd3
2, virginia 2, West Virginia g. Wisconsin l-6s
For observation-disclosures 3, Arkansas 8, Geor-
gla l. Illinois 4, Indiana 2, Kentucky g. Louisi-
ana 4, MARYLAND I, Minnesota l, Mississippi /
Missouri 9. North Carolina 3, Ohio 10, OreyOn /
south Carolina 4, Tennessee 9, Texas 2, Virginia
6, Wisconsin 1: total, 20.
Doubtful-COx Of New York, Wright of Penn
sylyania, Bragg OF Wisconsin.
ODDS AND ENDS
The Randall forces say that there Is no sub
stantial change so far as the general result Is
concerned-that pulling and hauling now and
then changes O man, but that he has from
eighty-iiVe 10 one hundred votes In the caucu,
IN any possible contingency. Dr. MOrWtz.
OF the Philadelphia German Democrat. and Ed
ward X. Tramell, Of the same city, are here In
RandaliS interest. -. Hon. Bardweli Slote, OF
the Oshkosh district, Is In town. lie came by
canal On the limited, and OF course his candi-
date will pull through ':by large majority"
-. 1t Is reported that MacMahon, OF Ohio con
cedeS that close canvass OF the vote, as repre-
Sentcd Dy expressions OF the members them
Selves gives Randall five majority. " Morri.
son OF Illinois and Senator Wallace admit thar
the vote will be close, and may be decided by a
single ballot.
Mr.. LLOYD LOwNDEs ST., father OF Hon.
Lloyd LOWndeS, Jr, OF Cumberland. died at nj d.,
home, Clarksburg, West Va. Friday last, aged
70 years, He was man OF considerable wealth
including mineral lands In West Virginia, Mary
land and Pennsylvania.