The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-21
LEAKEN NOT A CANDIDATE.
NOT LIKELY TO BE IN RACE FOR
CONGRESS AGAINST COL. LESTER.

He Is Not Now in the Race and Will
Not Enter Unless There Is n Ma
teriaI Change in the Situation.
Politics Has Lost Its Charm for
tiff Mr.. Leaken sticks to His De-
termination. Mr.. t. F. johnson
VIII Have Clear Field for Re-
publican Nomination Sinevs of
War the Question.
Mr.. W. r. Leaken, who has been prom
inently mentioned as the cand date Ct the
Republican part of this district for Con
gress and who. it has been announced,
would receive the support of enc wing Of
the party for that office, gave a Morning
News reporter 10 understand yesterday
that he would not be in the race
While Mr.. Leaken would not pin him
salf to a positive declaration, all that he
said left the impression that he was not
seek ng the nomination, and was no. anx-
ious to get il. 81 am not now a candidate,
at any rate he said, land shall not be
unless there is a material change in the
situation Politics has ceased TO have any
fascination or attraction for me and am
out of it, l hope and believe for good
and ALL"
Il am stll a Republican" said Mr..
Leaken, but 1 am no longer a politician
i am afraid l am not fitted to endure the
sings and arrows of the other crowd
with the peri ct serenity of spirit that all
good politicians ought to possess, and l
am anxious to be out of it,"
If Mr.. Leaken adheres to his present de-
termination not 10 make the race, this
will leave the Republican nomination open
to Mr.. 7. F. johnson, who has already
been pledged the support of that wing of
the Republican party in the district that
opposes Mr.. Leaken This is headed by
Capf. NJ. j. Doyle and Postmaster j. F.
Doyle. This faction w9s refused Tepresen-
tat!on at the Philadelphia convention.
where Mr.. Leaken and Col j. H. De-
veaux. the opposition delegation from this
county, were given seats.
From the reports brought back from
Philade, phia the contest before the ere
DENTAL committee of the convention was
a hot one from start to finish, the contest
ants threshing over Republican straw
from 1894 10 the present time. Mr.. Lea
ken was charged, among other political
ofensts, with having voted the Demo-
cratic ticket at the primary held in Chat
ham county on May Is.
Mr. Leaken, while, as has been said, he
would not state positively he would not
he in the race against Col. Lester, yet
showed that he was not at all anxious
for the somewhat empty honor of making
the contest with certain defeat staring
him in the face He manifested quite a
willingness to permit Mr. johnson to make
the race and undergo the frigid discom-
fort of being showed under by the usual
Democratic majority in this district. I'm
less there is a material change in the sit
uation,' he reitere ted, 81 shall not be
candidate for Congress"
II was evident from what Mr.. Leaken
said that he was more than a little an
noyed by some of the methods pursued
by the Representative of the rival Re-
publican faction to prevent his being Civ
en- his seat at the convention as a dele
gate from this county. That he did not
feel very kindly towards the men who OPP
posed him there was quite plain. There
fore it is, probably. that he feels that if
the Republican nomination for Congress
is to be merely a selection of lamb for
the sacrifices, the search will have to be
made in somebody ese's fold. The ma
terial change in the situation" to which
he referred during his talk with the rep
resentative of the Morning News, doubt
ment and feeling throughout the district,
as will give the Republican nominee a
fighting chance of election. This change
is not likely 10 come, and therefore, Mr..
Leaken, who thoroughly understands
what he is about, is not likely to make
the race.
Whether or not there will be any Re
publican candidate for Congress depends.
in all probability, upon the amount of
the sinews of war the Republican Ma
tionai Committee is prepared and willing
to furnish, for the purpose of effecting the
defeat or reducing the majority of the
Democratic nominee in the district AS
a reduction in Col. Testers ma iority is all
the most sanguine could hope to gain j,
is not at all certain that the committee
will be willing to make a heavy expendi-
ture for this purpose. The issue in Geor-
gia is beyond all peradventure and the
Republican committee is much more like
ly to unload the sheckles in the states
where the choice of the people for Pres,
ident and representatives in Congress is
matter of some doubt. To fight the
Democratic nominees in this state is a
performance entirely quxotic, and Chair
man Hanna, who is nothing if not prac-
teal. is not very apt to indulge in senti-
ment.