Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-13
STRIFE OF TIE FACTIONS
Supporters of Both Allen and Hitchcock
Urging Their Appointment
GOVERNOR BtSItGED BY THE POLITICIANS
Gives n Hearing to Many aud Looks
over His Accumulation of Letters
nnd TeIcgrnm OF
the Contest.

/ possibility of bringing the contending fac
/ tions together 20 agree on the appoint
/ ment Of man to I'LL the senatorial va
cancy has suggested several possible solu-
! tions for the political controversy. The
| friends of William V. Allen are still doing
all they can to prevent the appointment
OF Hitchcock and the latter and his work
! ers are straning every muscle to prevent
/ the appointment of the former
1t is argued that If Governor Poynter
should comply with the really intelligent and
dspassionate opinion of the people not
blinded by absolute devotion to partisanshp
and should either appoint republican or
call special session OF the legislature the
republican party would be satisfied and a
majority OF the people would say that he
! had done Just what he should have done
under the circumstances.
/ 1t has been said with good deal OF truth
! by those who have asked the governor to
do this that it would be very embarrassing
! for him to furnish a reason for not follow
! ing out this course of action when one OF
! the chief contentious of the fusion party is
| that it represents the will of the people
| 1t is this condition of affairs that has
| revived during the last few days the talk
| of a special session of the legislature to
! settle the difficulty Should the fight con-
/ tinue for many days as 1t has up to date
| the leaders of the contending factions might
be glad to compromise by referring the
whole matter to that body of lawmakers.
! Neither side has so far shown any disposi-
| tion to lie down, nor have there been any
! Indications of such action in the future.
| Rendy-Mnde Recommendations.
Reviewing the situation from the time
the senatorial vacancy occurred, and. in fact,
| for days and even weeks before, 1t is easy
to see that both sides are and have been
determined to carry their point. Before the
death of Senator Hayward the Omaha can
didate for the position that was not then
vacant began laying plans and making
preparations for securing the appointment.
Editorial copy was prepared in his office in
| Omaha for publication in the fusion country
press and copies of all papers that printed
| any portion of it were marked and addressed
! to the governor.
The fight for the appointment OF
! Allen has been carried on by his
! friends alone. He has taken no hand in the
! scramble himself and has not gone so far
J as to even announce outright that he was a
candidate for the position.
This uncertainty as to whether or not
| Allen really was a candidate for the ap-
pontment led the Hitchcock men to seek
| his withdrawal from the race. Being unsuc-
! cessfu they then emphasized to the governor
/ that he could better serve the interests Of
| Allen by not appointing him to fill the va
| cancy In doing this they admitted the pos
! sibility of republican legislature next year,
| in which event Allen of course would be
defeated, leaving him again without posi-
! tion of any kind.
! In his request for the appointment of a
I republican or a special session of the legi5-
! lature Chairman Orlando Tefft of the repub-
! lican state central committee emphasized
! the fact that at probably no election Tor
/ United States senator in this state was the
! choice of the people so faithfully re-
sponded to as by the last legislature in the
election of Hayward as senator. The issue
! before the people in the election of that
| legislature was distinct and well defined
| and resulted in the deliberate choice of a
republican majority, the electors fully under
I standing that it meant the representation
of this state in the United States senate
for six years.
Poynter at His Desk.
Governor Poynter returned from Omaha
this morning and went directly to the execu-
tive mansion, where he was visited by sew
eral politicians before the noon hour. Gov
ernor Poynter this afternoon began the
| consideration of the several hundred let
( ters, kilograms and petitions bearing upon
the senatorial vacancy and only succeeded
in getting fairly under way in the work
by evening More communications We're re-
| ceived today and it is likely that he will
! change his methods somewhat If they con-
! tinue to pour in with the same regularity.
He announced late this afternoon that he
might postpone making an appointment until
the latter part of the week
1t was rumored again today that w j.
Bryan would be asked to come back to Ne
braska to accept the appointment, but those
who enjoy close relations with the gov
ernor deny that the place will be given to
the free silver champion The rumor seems
to have originated from the suggestion that
Bryan should be cent to congress to assist
the opposition to the currency bill but his
declaration that he did not want the ap-
pointment has dispelled the hope that was
entertained by some that he would be sent
10 succeed Senator Hayward. The morning
Senator Hayward died Governor Poynter
held a long consultation with Charles W.
Bryan, brother of the orator, and 1t Is
learned from authoritative sources that the
prdposition to send the latter to congress
was the subject OF their discussion. Gov
ernor Poynter said this afternoon that he had
not communicated with w. j. Bryan con-
cerning the appointment and did not eX-
pect to.
Sale of world-Herald Space.
The discussion that has arisen in the
fusion ranks concerning the sale of space
on the editorial page of the Omaha World
Herald to the republicans during the cam
paign of 1894 recalls several facts connected
with that transaction which show con-
clusively that Gilbert NJ. Hitchcock deliber-
ately entered into a deal to help defeat Hol-
comb for governor. These facts have been
urged with telling effect by those now op-
posed to his appointment. After the pub
lication of the first installment OF the re-
publican matter fusioni9ts all over the state
became Indignant and realizing the fact that
Hitchcock was interested in defeating Hol-
comb they appealed TO Bryan, who was then
on a speaking tour over the state. He at
once cancelled his dates and hurried back
10 Omaha to stop publication of the repub-
lican campaign literature in the columns OF
the World Herald. Hitchcock was forced
to refuse further publication Of the matter
and the case was taken into the district
court where mandatory injunction was is
eued compelling the World Herald to con
tInue its contract, conditional upon the film
of a bond by the republican state centra
. committee to indemnify the newspaper
against any damage that might result from