St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-01-31
Many Of the Republican Ward
Leaders Are Already for
the Colonel.
William Lindeke Declines to
Become the Candidate Of
the Other Fellows.
Nels Ness Anxious to Tackle
the Sixth Wards Demo-
cratic Majority.
Review Of the Aldermanic
Situation in the Various
Wards.

The coming city campaign in st. Paul
promises to be very interesting affair,
although decidedly one-sided. Up to
the present time the Democratic leaders
have been satisfied to rest on their oars,
and allow the Republicans to wrangle
over their internal feuds and difficulties,
and, 1t is needless to say,the latter have
fully improved the time. For at least
three months there has been an active
canvass going on in Republican circles
in behalf of Col. A. II. Kiefer's candi-
dacy for the Republican nomination for
mayor with the result that at the pres
ent time many of the local leaders
are pledged to support him. During
this same time efforts have been made
to form ward clubs in his interest with
but little success, except in the Fifth
ward. Here club has been organized,
and the "cruel war" may be said to
have commenced. The first move of
this organization was to attack the new
Fifth Ward Citizens union. This move
was a most unlucky one, politically
speaking, and, if it had any effect, it
was to disgust the Fifth ward property
owners with an organization that would
strike at the interests of the ward for
the sake of making point i'll local pol
iticS.
The fact that there are two factions in
the Republican party of st. Paul, sep
arated by an impossible barrier, was
never illustrated better than it is in the
Wrangle now going on. The faction
opposed to the nomination of Col. Kiefer
is sparing no effort to find a candidate
to lead the party in the contest to be
dacidan q tha pnllS ppyt Nav Rut thn
leaders of this element are all at sea,
and the man they are so industriously
seeking cannot be found. A few days
ago the evening Republican organ
thought it bad the man for the hour, a
man who could wrest the nomination
from the gallant colonel and then stand
some show of securing about rs per
cent Of the Republican vote. This man
was at once placed in the field and al
most elected in that days paper, but,
alas for the anti-Kiefer cohorts, William
Lindeke-tor he was the man-had not
been consulted in the matter, and the
next day he announced that he was not
candidate for any Office and had no
intention of entering the lists for the
coming May tournament.
While the opponents of Col. Kiefer
have been searching for a man, his
friends have been far from idle. The
kids" to man are already pledged to
him, and the only thing that can pre-
vent his denomination is declination
on his part. This may come, and then
again it may not. Col. Kiefer does not
enjoy losing fight, and the last munic-
ipal campaign demonstrated that he can
not secure the Republican vote Of the
city. Without the solid support of his
own party he knows that he cannot win.
He may, however, decide to accept the
nomination if only for the purpose of
showing his enemies that he can get it.
On the Democratic side there is a
unanimous demand for the renomina-
ton Of Mayor Smith. and no other candi-
date has been suggested. 1t is we'll
known fact that Mayor Smith does not
seek another term as chief executive of
the city, and, were he to follow his own
lncllnatlOnS, another man would be
named. But the people Will not listen
to this. Mayor Smiths administration
has been satisfactory to all interests.
The business men have always had per-
feet confidence in Mayor Smith, and will
vote for him regardless of party. His
position on the auditorium matter, as
we'll as other Improvements. has again
demonstrated his interest In the city as
well as the workingmen, and the best
| man the Republicans can find will be
beaten by majority ranging up into
the thousands.
For the other city Offices candidates
are not lacking on the Democratic side.
The most important of all of these, of
course, is the one now filled by Mr..
Ponthan, city comptroller. Mr.. Ponthan
is a candidate for the nomination, and
will be strong on account of the salts
factory manner in which he took up the
duties of the Office ON the death OF the
| late POmntrOllpr Inhn w Roche
Among his possible opponents is M. r.
Prendergast, an old and highly respect
| ed citizen, who has been mentioned for
| this Office several times during the past
| few years. On the Republican side this
| office is yet open. EX-Oil Inspector Sam
Nichols is now resident OF the new state
of Washington, land unless he moves east
very soon he can hardly secure the
nomination. Several other weli-known
hardly with their consent. Among
these are County Chairman Fitzgerald,
| c. E. Keller and Paul Quehl. Both
Quehl and Keller ran on the Republican
| ticket for aldermen at large two years
ago, and Mr.. Keller ran for county au-
| dtor at the fall election of 1890. These
| two defeats have served to rather
| dampen Mr.. Keller's aspirations for
| public Office, and he will hardly be
candidate for anything next May.
The office of city treasurer possesses
attractions for many good citizens OH
both sides of the political fence. Conrad
| W. Miller is again being pushed for the
| Republican nomination by his friends,
| and he may be the nominee. On the
| Democratic P. j. Dreis, the well-known
| Fourth ward druggist, who was in the
field two years ago, is in the hands of
| his friends. He expects the honor, and
does not anticipate any opposition from
| the present treasurer, George Refs, al
though the latter has not yet stated his
position in the matter.
| The contest for seats in the board of
| aldermen and the assembly will be hot
in some quarters, although very large
| proportion of the present members of
| those two bodies are certain to be both
renominated and reelected. Strange to
relate. sthe first battle started for an
| aldermanic seat is located in the Sixth
ward, where Contractor Nels j. Ness is
camping on the trail of Republican
nomination. The latter honor has never
| West ST. Paul, but Mr.. Ness evidently
| thinks there is chance for election in
it. Mr.. Ness will be remembered for
his vigorous opposition to the nomina-
ton of eX-Ald. Bryant in the Repub-
lican city convention two years ago.
He has now buried the Ratchet with
Mr.. Bryant, and is counting On the
latter's support.
In the First ward Gilbert Olson will
be the Democratic nominee and John
Copeland, the present alderman, the
Republican candidate. Aid. Bott is
said to have an opponent in the person
of Coleman FlahertY in the Second, but
this is not settled. The Republicans are
seriously divided in this ward, and the
man who gets the Democratic nomina-
ton will be elected without doubt.
In the Third ward Aid. Conley is
more solid than ever, and it makes no
particular difference whether the Re-
publicans nominate Charley" Johnson.
Dr. Sandberg or "Shelr' Blakely. None
of them are or will be Sin it" when the
| time comes.
The Fourth ward is good Democratic