The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-11-20
The Treatment Of the Ex-Czar An
Issue in the S~peakership
Contest.
Ono Candidate Promises That He
Will Never Sec the Maine
Man.
Another Takes u Very Different Stand
Mills said to le Leading in
the Contest. -

Tribune correspondent sends that paper
the following; Each day brings fresh indi-
cations that tho speakership contest OF this
wear ia to be one of the most bitter and
stubkora fights of the kind ever seen be-
fore the organization OF a congress- Al
ready, with the democratic causus three
weeks away, the gloves have been cast
aside, and bare knuckles are shown. 70
day- from one camp comes this story:
Some time ago one of the new democratic
representatives-elect from Ohio received a
letter from one of the leading candidates
for speaker, asking for his support. lie re-
piled in a n~on-committal vein, but in his
letter he remarked that he would support
for speaker that man who, if elected.
'would not recognize TOM Reed under
any circumstances" The prompt response
from the Candidate was in substance this:
"lhen you will support mo for speaker
1t is said that the Ohio representative
elect allowed the substance OF the corre-
spondence to leak ont, and row the friends
and partisans of another leading candidate
lay that if he is elected he will not ouly
appoint Mr.. Reed a member of ths commit
Gee OH rules and the committee ON ways
and means. but also will make him chair
man of a committee as Speaker keifer did
IN the case of sx-Speaker Randall in thu
Forty-seventh congress. and will recognize
him in every way as leader of the minority.
There is no reason to doubt this story,
which came from q democrat whose
sources of information are Of the best, and
who naturally takes an active interest in
the pending contest. He gave the names of
the two candidates in question and OF the
Ohio representative-slect; but the Irib-
une correspondent withholds them for the
present, in order to avoid the lmputation
that he ia anxious or willing to stir up
strife betw cen leading democratic candi-
dates for the speakership. The contest
promises to be bitter enough without any
help from republicans.
friend of Col. Mills to-day said: He is
sure to win. No combination can be formed
which will beat him; he is as we'll in the
lead now as Mr.. Reed at this time two years
ago.
Chow many votes are pledged to him
now?" asked the Tribune correspondent.
''About eighty-eieht votes in all. No,
there will be no break from him in Mis-
souri,, except Tarsnsy. Bland has been
kicking some of late, on account of Mills
declaration in favor of p~ostponing free
coinage legislation until after the presiden-
tial election; but no will come round all
right; there is no other place for him
Springer for Mills after the first
ballot. Wisconsin and Minnesota are
both solid for him; Michigan will be di-
vided, part of the votes going to Judge
Crisp. The two California men are pledged
to Mills, and have informed him by tele-
graph that they will come to Washington
10 help him whenever he gives the word.
He will receive seven or eight votes, and
perhaps more. from New York; l believe
that the Brooklyn men are all for. him,
that Tracey, Greenleaf and lockwood are
committed in his favor, and that he will
receive the support of several other men
from the interior of tho state. A majority
of the Massachusetts men will support him
alse-in fact, l think he will receive the
majority of the New England votes"
Glow many votes do you think Judge
Crisp has pledged to him?"
about seventy. He and Mills will have
about two-thirds Of the caucus on the first
ballot, and the rest of the votes will be d.
vided among the other four Candidates
Mcmillan. Springer, Hath and Rynum."
"Soms people think that Colonel Mills
must be nominated on the first ballot if he
is to win,'' remarked the correspondent.
"Oh, there is nothing in that; he will re-
ceivs u majority on the second ballot, if not
OF the first one."
OF course tho other candidates will boot
at this estimate: but there is no doubt that
it correctly represents tho hopes and ex-
pectations of the friends OF the Texas can
didate at this time. It il whispered in
some quarters that the objective. point of
Mr.. Springsr's candidacy is the chairman
ship of the committee on appropriations,
and there seems to be disposition not to
regard his canvass for this speakership with
that degree of seriousness which it ought to
provoke. Now, this is wrong. Mr.. Springer
- serious-is in dead earnest, in fact-and
the men who make light OF his efforts now
may be obliged to sing in q different KEY
on the night of the caucus. If they do not,
there will be at least one disappointed dem
ooratic statesman in that caucus.