Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-17
FIGHT TO CONE ON SPEAKER
Contest in Iowa Hou'e Will Probably Decide
the senatorship,
cUMaINS GETTING PLEDGES FOR EATON
Gear Men Nay Establish Precedent In
Sennte by Taking Power of Ap-
pointing Committees from
Lieutenant Governor.

DES MONIES, Dec. l6.-(Special.) THE
speakershlp contest has become so interest
ing as TO take precedence of the senatorial
contest in the public mind Bowen
and Eaton, the opposing candidates.
have established headquarters at the
Savery hotel and 1t is expected that both
of them will spend most of the time here
until the caucus is held
As the contest has at last settled down
to these two men, who represent the Gear
and Cummins forces, the first contest on the
senatorial question will probably be fought
In determining who shall be speaker Sem
ator Gears friends cay that they would have
much preferred that each member vote his
individual preference for speaker, but on ac-
count OF the persistent claims of the Cum
Minis managers that Eaton would be their
candidate, there was apparently nothing left
for the Gear forces to do but to unite upon
a candidate
II Is generally conceded by conservative
politicians that the Gear people have a much
better organization than their opponents
His candidacy and that of DR.. Bowen is be-
ing supported by. almost the entire con-
gressional delegation Of the state, Senator
Allison, majority of the state officers and
the experienced politicians. Gear also has
a decided advantage by having large ma
jority in the state senate. 1t Is quite gen
orally conceded that he will have twenty-four
out of the thirty-sx republican senator's
with a possibility. Of twenty seven. In addi-
ti-n, Gears friends assert that he will have
iifty-four members of the house and possibly
fifty -elx. Only fifty one votes are required
to elect a speaker.
The Cummns people last week made some
headway in the Gear camp by getting condi-
tional promises of some of their votes for
Eaton. and this week they say they have
made similar progress in the enemys camp,
Before the speakership caucus, however, 1t
may be reasonably expected the lines will be
drawn strictly along senatorial lines.
One of Gears friends made this remark at
the Savery hotel this morning: "If Mr..
Cummins' candidacy had not been vigorously
pushed by certain Des Moines dailes, which
reach nearly all portions OF the state, he
would have been able to have made but lit
tie progress
A senator from northeastern Iowa, who
preferred not to have his name mentioned
made this statement this morning. "Gov
ernor Gears friends, If they are so disposed,
in Iowa politics. At least. careful eXami-
have the power to establish new precedent
nation of the new code of Iowa fails TO show
that twenty members cannot select the
chairman and membership of the various
committees in the senate, which heretofore,
as a matter of courtesy have been turned
over to the lieutenant governor for appoint
ment. / have just talked with one of ex-
Governor Gears friends and propounded this
question: Is anything of this kind contem-
plated?' He replied: We have no disposition
whatever to establish a new precedent in
the selection OF the committees in the SEN
ate.' '.'t' 80. .'.' ~ .-'--'
One OF Cummins senatorial friends was
asked what he had to say about it, His
reply was: ~ know nothing about-it, but
| have heard that the Gear people were
not satisfied with the chairmanships al
lotteds to their. friends last. winter. In
fact they claim Cummins friends were
given the leading chairmanships of the most
prominent committees, but l suppose they
will certainly be willing to concede that
this was done on account of the long ex-
perience of some of these men we'll as
the fact that they were members Of these
committees before being appointed chair
men,"
Bowen and Eaton both live in the same
congressional district in northeastern Iowa.
and Bowens friends insist that before he
became a candidate he was practically as
sured of a majority of the votes in his
own congressional district.