The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-06-01
OHIO REPUBLICANS SPAR
Doubt As To whlsh s.as wm control
the Convention.

New York, May 3i.-A Columbus
dispatch to the Sun says.
The hotels Of the city are thronqed with
the advance guard to the Republican state
convention, which meets on Thursday.
All OF the gubernatorial candidates are
on the ground. The convention will be
composed of Sl3 delegates, 407 being
necessary to a choice. OF the total mum.
Der the seats of si2 delegates will be In
dispute and the control Of the convention
will In all probability hinge upon the re.
suit of these contested cases. Tbs
state has twenty-one Congressional dis.
tricts, five OF which, the First and Second
lCincinnsti) the Twentieth and Twenty.
first (Cleveland) and the Twelfth, which
embraces Columbus, all have contestine
delegates. The effect Of this viii be 10
deprive them of representation on the
-cofnmittee on credentials. There are also
consisting delegates from four counties In
as many Congressional districts, but they
represent the minority vote, SO that the
right of those districts to representation
on the committee on credentials IL not in
volved.
With five districts taken out of ali CAL
culAtions on the question of the orgsniza.
tion OF the convention, this work devolves
upon the remaining sixteen. OF these
the Hurts people lay claim to seven abso-
lutely, with an equal chance to secure
one additional district. To the Hanna
people they concede six, the other three
being given to the Daugherty forces. The
Dauherty people are apparently as bitter
against Hanna as are the kurtz "insur-
gents. and combination Of their forces
Is not unlikely. In fact. negotiations
along this line are now in progress, and
with strong Indications that they viii be
successful.
The Kurtz and Daugherty people will
have enough votes in the convention by
combining their strength to control the
convention and beat Hanna out but in
the negotiations now pending TO that end
each is seeking the best side of the bar
gain, and IL they are finally beaten 1t will
be because OF their failure to agree upon
candidate. Daugherty, who has always
affiliated with Hanna, and who was one
OF his chief lsutenants during the Sena-
torial fight one year ago. is dividing the
admin istration forces with Judge George
Il. Nash, tha Hanna candidate, but his
one great weakness is that Ii a break
should OCCUR his strength will go to Nash
while little. II any, OF the Nash strength
would go to Daugherty in such con-
The Daugherty leaders are therefore
urging the Kurtz people to come to
Daugherty. They say they would willing
~ go to Kurt and vote for his candidate
for governor If Daugherty could control
eAS acfckAtcsf WuACtl lucy lThL hly CunlbSs
be cannot do. They are willing to con-
coed the balance of the state ticket to the
hurtz people, which includes lieutenant
governor. attorney general. auditor OF the
state, treasurer of state. Judge Of the sn
preme court and member of the state
board Of public works. This Is the posi-
lion now under consideration, and on
which a decision will be reached BY to-
morrow. The kurtz people are holding
out for the nomination of Asa w, Jones,
1t present lieutenant governor, or Col
Robert NJ. Nevin of Dayton, both of
whom are recognized as Foraker men,
but neither of whom have been offensive
" partisan in tnuir factional alliance
The Hanna people are asserting with
confidence that they will be able to oon-
troll the convention and that Judge Nash
will be nominated after the delegates
have complimented their local candidate.
The action of President Mckinley re-
leasing $500 office holders in the United
States from the operations of the civil
service law is hooked upon as a bold
stroke. and which will likely play
prominent part in determining who shall
De governor of Ohio, as 1t gives Senator
Hanna trading capital. 1t is generally
regarded as a blow to the Insurgents.
Col. Charles Dick, who will have charge
OF the Hanna end of the fight, will arrive
tomorrow. Hanna may not come, but
Senator Foraker will be here Thursday
from Cincinnati.