Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-01-04
DOES 1T LOOK LIKE WARD FOR
SPEAKER.
CLAIMS FIFTY-THREE VOTES
RUNORS OF wHITECOTTON-HA
COMBINATION.
Ward Has Already Prepared His Slate
Everybody Fighting GnmeIy-
Hot Contest for Secretary
ship of Sennte-ROnch
in the Lead.

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, Jan. 3.-(Spe-
| cialD If the Democratic caucus had been
| held any time in the past twenty-four
| hours, w. J. Ward, of Stoddard county,
| wonld undoubtedly have been nominated
| for speaker. And if general opinion is
worth anything. he will he nominated to-
| morrow night. Mr.. Ward and his manager,
State Auditor Scibert, claim almost the
whole earth. They say they have fifty
three votes copper riveted- But notWith-
standing this assurance, upon which any
ordinary man would feel like resting, they
are still working. The Whitecotton and
Hall people say they are working because
their claim of ffty-three votes is largely
hot air Mr.. Whitecotton certainly pos
sesses the virtue of pluck and perseverance.
Never for moment has he given up the
fight. He does not appear discouraged. He
claims twenty-eight votes with calm as
snrance that is astonishing.
The coming of Matt Hall, of Saline, TO
town at noon to-day boosted the White
cotton end of the tight greatly. Mr.. Hall
had hardly aighted from the bus before
he had announced to an anxious friend
that he was in the race for speaker. and
he was in it to the finish. He made no
claims except that Mr.. Ward was not
elected by long shot, and he would do
all in his power to see that the caucus
did not elect him. Hall was welcomed by
the Whitecotton people with open arms
and the two forces Immediately began
working in harmony, although they de-
MED that they had any understanding or
intended to combine. There Were fire.
quent rumors that there would eventually
ha of Ny-ifh ni,
Whitecotton or Hall as the candidate but
these rumors met with quick denials. Mr..
Hall called on Mr.. Whitecotton after sup
per and insisted that there be a straight
fight TO finish, and Mr.. WhitecOtton full
ly agreed with him.
Notwithstanding the denials of the two
men and their friends, it is known that
they have been considering the advisable
ity of Whtecotton's withdrawal in favor
of Hall. with the idea that Hall. not be-
ing SO 2laringly an anti-admnistration can
didate. might cut into Ward and accom-
pIish his defeat. Bur the plan was thought
to be dangerous for the reason that Mr..
Whitecotton could not be sure that all his
followers We're deliverable to Hail.
The withdrawal of W. S. Pope of Cole
early in the day created hardly a ripple
in the day. Most of Mr.. POpe's friends
went to Ward hut there was one who de-
clined to be delivered. That one was Jack
Slate. of Maries county. Jack is for White
cotton and tells everybody he meets about
it. hoping to make converts. About noon
there were couple of breaks in the Ward
ranks which caused momentary uneasiness.
They were in the delegations from the Thr
teenth and Fourteenth districts.
Mr.. Wards district IS the Fourteenth
and Cox, of Oregon, started disaffection
which split off several of the other mem
bers. Oregon o. Dent proved the disturb
ing spirit in the Thirteenth district. and
the split resulted in Whtecotton getting
seven of the eleven votes in the district.
Prior TO these breaks, Mr.. Ward and his
managers had quit working. But they be-
came alarmed and Auditor Sebert went to
work again.
1t is inspiring thing to Sebert
campaigning. He does it skilfully. quiet
ly and with the finesse if an old and
trained politician. BY evening the Ward
people announced that all danger was past
and that their fences had been repaired.
They did not recover the lost ground, but
they claimed to have stopped the assault.
A slate for the house has been arranged
by the Ward people, and, of course, if Ward
| wins. it will go through. The slate is:
For speaker w. J. Ward, Stoddar1 coun-
ty; for speaker pro TEN, V. o. Coltram, of
Green county; for chief clerk. Henry A.
Newman, Randolph county; for assistant
chief clerk, Richard S. Slater of Kansas
City: for enrolling clerk, F. p. Ellis, of
Montgomery; for engrossing clerk. NJ. C..
Faulkenbur.y; for doorkeeper. William Ma
lone, of Lynn county; for official reporter,
Charles ]. Johnstone, of Dekalb; for SER
geant-at-arms. Bass. of Boone county.
Senator McClintic, of Marion, will be
president pro tenn of the senate. and J. II.
a lrlg will nl.lAl ha rhn off iai
porter. The secretaryship is developing as
warm a fight as that over the speaker
| ship of the house. The leading candidates
are Cornelius Roach, OF Jasper, and W. r.
| Painter of Carroll.
This is an administration and anti-udmin-
| stration fight. 1t became bitter to-day
when Secretary Virgil Conkling, of the
Democratic state committee. and Senator
| John +. Morton. operly denounced Gov
! ernor Stephens for an alliance with Col
onel William H. Phelps. of the Missouri
| Pacific. TO secure the election of Roach.
This revived the old charge that money
was used to aid Roach in his unsuccessful
| fight for the senatorial nomination in the
! Twcnty-eighth district. Mr.. Conkling also
| charged that Governor Stephens had no:
! contributed dollar TO the last Democratic
| campaign and that he had sold himself
| completely to the railroads
They succeeded in washing much dirty
| Democratic linen and there is promise of
much more of the same kind. cOnklinG
and his followers are sworn to down the
| governor and to keep up the fight until
| they succeed. John Marens of Cass. with
! drew from the contest for the chief clerk
ship early this evening. He had 40 shon
| TO win and decided to back out gracefully.
| This leaves Colonel Henry \. Newman
| practically in undisputed possession of the