The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-18
WILL TONIGHT DECIDE /?
REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL CAUCUS
WILL BE HELD THIS EVEN
ING AT THE CAPITOL
TIVE CANDIDATES HOPEFUL
They All Profess to Believe That
They Have the Battle Well
Planned for Vic
tory.

Tt is still a prevalent belief that the
caucus tonight on the short-term sena-
torship will be barren of results and
that the fight, will have to go into the
legislature before 1t is known whom the
Republican members of the Minnesota
lawmaking body want for the successor
of the late Senator Cushman *. Davis
This is the opinion of the laity, the can
didates themselves adhering to the belief
that a nomination will be made tonight
To obviate the necessity of a contest
over the election of a chairman and sec
retaries, after the caucus has convened
a satisfactory disposition of these mat
ters was made yesterday afternoon. Gen.
Clapp, MessTs. Tawney, Evans, Bixby
and Lowry held a conference during the
afternoon, at which these officers were
practically determined upon. 1t was
agreed, after various names from the
ranks of the several camps had been
suggested, that either Senator McGill or
Speaker Bowling act as chairman and
that Representative Laybourn and Sena-
tor Underleak perform the duties of sec
retaries. Any of these gentlemen will be
satisfactory to all parties concerned, SO
all that now devolves upon the caucus
is to make the selection from these few.
1t is generally believed that Senator Nc
Gill will be the chairman.
OF course it is known that Senator Nc
Gill is stanch Clapp man, but the other
tident of fair treatment with him in the
chair. Speaker Bowling, who has never
committed himself, would prove equally
as satisfactory. Laybourn, for secretary,
is an avowed Evans man, and Under
leak one of the Tawney cornerstones.
TAMs SPRUNG A NEW ONE.
An ingenious bit of Bixbyism was in
- jected into the little conference held be-
tween several candidates yesterday. 1t
was entirely original with Tams, and
suggests an air of fairness, to say the
least. Nevertheless, it failed to take
with the other four. The scheme which
BiXby proposed was that the matter Of
the election of senator be there and then
settled by ballot among the five men
whose names are to be voted on for the
place. Messrs Clapp, Evans, Tawney and
Lowry promptly objected to the plan.
While there may not be a full list of
the Republican members present tonight
at the caucus, it is the consensus of opin-
ion that a much larger number will be
there than was indicated by the action
of the members Wednesday evening
Some of the members, it is insisted, have
sore threats and will be compelled to re-
main away. But when it comes to guess
ing who these members will be rather
difficult problem presents itself, for each
candidate maintains that his entire Gele-
cation will be present
The number of votes necessary to a
choice is seventy-one In order that a
majority of the whole may govern in the
deliberations it will be necessary to enact
a resolution TO that effect. Those who
are laboring under the impress on that
the caucus will be poorly attended, with
whom the thought is no doubt reflected
by the wish, Insist that it will be i'm
possible to pass such a resolution as this,
since there will be a determination to
bring a decisive result out of the caucus,
Notwithstanding the attendance, if there
is a quorum present Their idea Is that
a resolution to allow the majority Of
those present to determine the result
will be the order. 1t is no doubt true
that q faction, of which the persons just
referred to, is working assiduously to
prevent results tonight, nor will it be
their desire to drag the thing over for
another caucus tomorrow night, but they
are heartily in favor of having it go d.
rectly into the legislature. If, as this
faction insists, there will be absentees
tonight to the extent of 40 per cent, it
will be useless to proceed with the eau
Gus, but this state of affairs is hardly
possible.
AS to relative strength of the candi-
dates entering the caucus it is impossible
to determine anything definite. The men
themselves are full of confidence, some
of them at least, that startles those who
are only interested as spectators. Evans
managers still have their claims up to
fifty-eight. They held a nose counting
meeting last night, but there We're not
nearly that many noses present. A con-
sentative estimate places Mr. Evans
numerical strength at a maximum of
twenty-eight pledged votes.
Clapp seems likely to be the leading
man when the caucus convenes, and,
from the looks of the situation now,
Tawney will follow with a respectable
second Mr.. Evans is given third place
and BiXby fourth, while 1t is a matter
no one has been able to decide what
Lowry's standing actually is Gen.
Clapp claims fifty-two votes, which, if
realized ought to be the means of CIV
ing him the election. Tawney makes
no statement of his actual numbers. He
has his First district solid and re-
spectacle scattering, which ought to net
him something like thirty-five
BIXBY IS THE ASCENDANT.
At all events the fight has so adjusted
itself that Tams Bixby is now seriously
reckoned. He created a stir last night
which was alarming to some of the other
men. Quietly he has been steadily al
work, until now it is believed his nets
have slyly fallen over some of the men
whom Mr.. BiXby's contestants had count
ed on beyond a doubt. A pair of the
Ramsey delegation, whose pledges have
all along been regarded as conclusive by
the Clapp forces, were Mr.. Bixby's guests
for three quarters of an hour last night
and it is believed their visit was signif-
lcant. Several Second district men mani.
tested an interest in the Bixby end oil
the fight last night also, which aroused
come comment. 1t is known by his owr
statement that Representative Scherf
whose name was one of the ffty-eighr
listed by the Evans men, that he is fol
BiXby. While Tams himself reserves any
such statement, friends say he will have
a surprise to spring on the caucus
The only statement Mr.. Bixby author
lied last night was: IT feel very SCR
at the treatment accorded me by tn
Third district, but still 1 cannot alloy
even that to force me out of the fight
have never formally declared mysel
candidate, nor do I formally declar
myself out of the race 1 am willin
to go into the caucus.
LOWRY'S STRENGTH A MYSTERY
Lowry's strength is still among tn