National Republican., 1883-01-11
A SUCCESSOR TO SAUNDERS.
All Nebraska Now Engaged in an Energetic
Hunt for Him.
A Partial Census Of the State Given as a
List Of the Candidates,
Possibility that Coalition May Defeat the Election
Of ANY Republican.
Personal Sketches OF the AsplrHnts in All
Parties.
Snecini LeNer.

OMAHA, Jan. 5.-Nebraska politics have al
ways been unique, especially as they have APP
peared in senatorial matters. 1t has been i'm
variably the case that the fellow who has Sc
cured the election has been an object of
great deal of surprise to himself, and of not
little surprise--often mixed with coDsterna-
tion-to those who had elected him. Hitch
cocks election was the result of a contest in
which two other candidates were strong, and
he, at the beginning, was very weak. Pad
docks election was parallel, and Van WycS's
was likewise Saunders was elected by the
cohesive capabilities of handful of support
ers, at time when Hitchcock had nearly
majority.
Some peculiar fate has this year given
turn to The political kaleidoscope. Among
the republican members of the legislature
there is numerically no very strong candi-
date, and there is little feeling in favor ofany
particular man even among those who may
pretend to be his supporters. The "Old
guard sentiment of unflinching devotion to
u candidate is not present in our senatorial
politics Everybody has a second choice, and
nobody is prepared to say that circumstances
will not arise in which his candidate will be
less desirable than some other one. There
are almost as many candidates as there are
republicans in the legislature.
MIR. ]. II. MILLARD,
an Omaha banker, IS perhaps, most promi-
nent Mr.. Millard has been sort of con-
servative candidate for n number of years--I
had almost said for decade He was Il can
didate six years ago, when Saunders was
elected, but was nevertheless thoroughly de-
voted to Hitchcock, and would not consent
to be supported excepting in the event of his
friends defeat. Mr.. Millard is personal
friend of Blaine, whom he visited in Maine
last summer, and whom he supported for the
presidency in 1880 with all possible ardor
However, factionally he has always been
strongly identified with the straight and truly
"stalwart" faCtion-the majority faction, by
the way-of Nebraska republiCanism.
The political enemies of Mr.. Millard are
trying to make il appear that he is the can
didate of the railways He was once govern
ment director of the Union Pacific, and his
bank has handled u considerable amount of
the funds of that road for number of years.
His long afliliation with the "straights," ;" who
are, according to the i-monopolists, all
railway cappers," gives some color to the
charge against him, and, in this year of pre-
judice, rant and demagogsm, may seriously
endanger his chances. 1t is claimed that
number the republicans who have quasi-anti-
monopoly constituencies will refuse to 90 into
n caucus if Mr.. Millard's name is to be brought
forward.
Personally, Mr.. DIillard is a digniied, quiet,
handsome man of fifty, who, although he has
ieen quite a political force, has never held
public office of Importance. He would
make an able, trustworthy senator.
SENATOR SAUNDERS
has quito n strong following, which is some
thing of a surprise to most of our politicians
The senator was elected by a protest against
Hitchcock, and the newspaper leader of that
protest was the Omaha Bee, controlled by u
little Bohemian Jow who is very noisy, very
reckless, and very seldom republican. But
this protest was not confined to the editor of
the Bee. 1t included some Of the best ele-
ments of the party; and when Senator Saun-
dcrs, in his good natured easy way, surren-
dered something like nine-teenths Of the
patronage which he controlled to the dicta-
ton of the editor of the Bee-who is person.
ally and politically very unpopuar-the
conscientious leaders of the anti Hitchcock
faction became disgusted. Something over
q year ago Senator Saunders aud his journal
istic friend fell out, but the senator at that
late day could not regain the sympathy of
those whom he had deserted by simply
fureswearing an allegiance that had
hegn insulting even in its inception,
Thus he was left outside of all the i'm
portant elements of Nebraska republican
politics. How, then, may we account for his
present strength? Simply by the fact that
his good genius led him last fall to take the
side of Valentine in the contest in our third
congressional district. The sO.called anti
mOnOpOlsts-the Office seekers bribade--had
bolted the regular convention, and eight,of
them (out of a convention of l46) had nomi-
mated an Independent candidate Senator
Van Wyck had taken the stump in favor of
the bolters who were some of them his APP
pointees, and who all desired to be. At this
juncture Senator Saunders, at the request of
the republican central committee, entered the
campaign in favor of Valentine. He was not,
perhaps, very earnest or very eloquent; but
there was a considerable prestige attached to
his official position, and the help that he gave
the straight republicans was, therefore,
not inconsiderable. The common feeling
of gratitude now leads many of Valentines
friends to look upon the Saunders "boom
in kindly and benignant way. Another
thing in his favor is the fact that without
doing anything in particular to merit it he
has secured the reputation of being n conser-
vative anti-monopolst He has, indeed, sell
dom trained with the majority wing Of the
party, and, as they are all said to be mOnopO-
lists there is this much in his favor, accord
ing to granger reasoning. 1t is claimed that
number Of the anti-mOnopolists in the leg
islature are ready to vote for him when the
time comes, and he has, besides all else, the
influence of his present position and Instability
to reward and punish until the fourth of
March.
GEN. MAEDERsoN,
who was a prominent officer in the union
army, and who was u warm friend of Gar
field, is also a candidate with Il personal fol-
lowing, He Is q prince in manners, as graz
ciOus, cultured, and ailable a gentleman as
one could wish to meet He has been
prominent politician and fayorite orator in
this state for many years, and was candi-
date for the senate when Saunders was elected.
He has never been an extreme factionist but
his devotion to the party has been such that
he receives his support now from the straight
wing, He ought not to be in ill-rcpute
among the anti-mOnopolsts, but no is per-
haps too much gentleman and too little
demagogue to suit them. He would make an
excellent senator.
GEN. JOHN GOWN,
another republican candidate, has some
strength. He is among the foremost members
Of the Nebraska bar, and has been quite n
prominent figure in politics. When Frank
Walsh was nominated for congress COwin was
his principal competitor, receiving within
two or three votes as many as the nominee.
Since that time he has not, until now, been
candidate for any official position He is a
resident of this city, and enjoysa remuneratiye
and prominent practice He is straight"
and l0b0red for the republican nominee in the
second district (Jim Laird against the anti- !
monopOlists and democrats lie is a man Of
marked ability, although an unfortunate
habit Of attempting TO bull" things-to
force them his way, willy nilly-has de-
liacted somewhat from the popularity he
should enjoy.
GIN. THAYER,