The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-22
JUDGE WILLIS IN THE FIELD
HE ANNOUNCES HIMSELF AS A
CANDIDATE, FOR CONGRESS
One OF the Best Campaisners In the
State, He II Likely to He Pitted
Against Fred stevens-Repub-
Dried for the Convention To-
morrow.

eeA rreV StcFeus--NepuD.
icans Have Everything Cut and
Dried for the Convention To-
morrow.
There is no longer any doubt as to
who will be selected by the Democrats
of the Fourth congressional district to
defeat Congressman Stevens this fall.
Judge John w. Willis said yesterday
afternoon that he understood there was
general demand among Democrats that
he make the race, ard that he would
accept the nomination--which an
nouncement practically settles the mat
ter, Tor 1t has been an open secret for.
some time that if Judge Willis would
accept he would be nominated. There
l5 no room for speculation as to who
his opponent will be, either, for the
Republican leaders say that Mr.. Stew
ems must be nominated. The announce
merit of the candidacy Of so strong a
man as Judge Willis might have chang
ed the Republican programme if 1t had
been announced earlier, but it is too
late to change it now. Stevens will be
nominated and very likely defeated.
Judge Willis was asked yesterday
afternoon If he would accept the Dem.
ocrauc nomination, and he said:
II there is a general demand for my
candidacy in the party 1 will accept,
and l am led to believe that there will
be such demand. 1 am a candidate
for the nomination under the condi-
tions and will do what ] can to over
come that 10000 majority I hope to
be able to change the conditions in the
district"
There is no doubt that the judge VIII
make a strong candidate and there is
no possible doubt that the nomination
Will be tel.dlred him. He is a grand
campaigner and will make such a cam
paign that Mr.. Stevens will be entire y
outclassed if. 1t comes to comparisons
of the two men. Mr.. Stevens will hard
ly be likely to hold his party in line,
and there are plenity of Votes to go
on in the district if there is any large
disaffection among the Republicans.
Ore man who is very well known
among Repub leans made the statement
when he was told Cof Judge Willis can
didacy: ei. lr
There! That comes of US being
idiots enough to- consent to another
term of Stevens. Willis will beat him
if the Democrats stand togetaer."
The local Eustjs ipeople took heart of
grace last ri2ht when thsy heard that
their man had carried the country pre-
cincts il Hennepin county, and that he
had a fairly coed lshcW for having the
majority of the delegates in the county
when it camaGto fighting for the con-
vention. But there were net enough in
st. Paul to cut very much Of figure,
and Oar Reese Fred Schiffmann and
other lights CT the st. Paul end of the
Republican party i-Were so little inter
ested in the opposition That had been.
weakly threatened at the primaries last
night that they went up to the counoii
~, INV ND lic.tn 1ota of
vas bsing m. de to get Ton enroy out
OF ctffce. -, 10
There is no fight in sight for the
primaries, and the convention tomorrow
will be quite harmless, unless there is
a proposal made by the younger Sele-
ment to abolish delegates at large. The
leaders will fight this in the convention,
fer it would have the effect of taking
the power out OF their hands and CIV
ing the mob a chance to do some of
the steering in the state convention. A
member Of the city committee said
last night. that it would ,be a igosd, thing
to bring about as a warning to the
leaders that they are rot the whole
thing. He also said that it would PROB
ably be done. Fe said
"a few men have been doing all the
talking and getting all the glory in
state; conventions, and it IS time that
they were rotfffed to quit. The pTope- !:
sition will be brought up tomorrow"
There will be no qnarreling tonight
at the primaries. In a coupe of pre-
ci2cts of the First there had been OPP
posing tickets proposed, but the city
committee stepped the trouble by in
dicating who the men ought to be and
tee others laid down. In the Fifth it
vas necess cry, or it was thought necss-
70 coll inc nf ri
leaders. 1t was called for c. S. P. S.
hall, on West Seventh street. but there
was no attendance and tie names that
were sent to the city committee for
places ON the fprecinct tickets will be
voted for. In the Eleventh ward, State
Grain Inspector Clausen wanted to be
a delegate, but he was forced to give
in in the interest eff harmony, and will
not be in the convention unless he has
a proxy. 1t Is possible that representa-
tions may be made to M. G. Craig to-
day that will let Mr.. Clausen in. as It
is clear that the admin istration has -ev-
erything rounded up.
There will be more petty ofnce-hold-
ers in the convention that will meet
tomorrow than ever before sat in
Ramsey county convention, and the
same will be true On q larger scale Of
the state convention. Wherever there
has been any sort of opposition to the
slate ticket it has been on the ground
that the ticket contained too many of
flee holders, ard sat times the rank and
file has been naellified by changes but
these little fights have not been of suf-
ficient importance to warrant notice.
In the Fourth ward all is not as love
ly as it seems. The attitude of most of
the delegates towards the old leaders
is not decided. They are all for Oar
Reese, as is every delegate in every
ward for the matter of that, but it is
not quite clear as to how they stand
with regard to Henry Johns and Fred
Schiffmann. The latter is back in line
and there seems to be a disposition gem
orally to condone his lapse of last
spring. He will, of course. want to go
to the state convention as a delegate
and that would settle the matter Of his
reinstatement.
Whether he will or not will probably
be settled at a caucus of the Fourth
ward delegates to the county conven-
ton, which will be held this evening at
the Windsor hotel. And there is going
to be a row at that caucus.
Mai Libby is in earnest about his
candidacy for the shrievalty, and the
fact is worrying Col Mlham. Libby
will, Of course, have to fight Milham.
The other candidates are out on lines
of their own.,1 The minute the state
convention is ooutfvOf the way there
will be a half-dozen combinations
formed in the count house. AS things
stand now, half of1the officers and
their deputies rare not on speaking
terms with each other, and there is a
frost coming that will rend the founda-
tons of the Building
Every deputy in the county end Of
the building, withIcthe exception of