Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-02-28
Said Statement to That Effect
Will be Issued.
HE WILL NOT INTERFERE
Alleged That His Aspirations as a
Successor to President Mckinley
Will Lead Him TO Keep Out of Cub.
ernatorial Fight in Iowa.

Des Moines, Feb. Ex-Governor L.
M. Shaw has determined to announce
a neutral stand in the campaign now
on in the republican party of Iowa for
the nomination for the Office of COVER
nor. Henceforth. unless unforeseen
circumstances force him into the
fight, he has permitted it to be under
stood he will make no espousal of the
machine cause and will refrain from
taking any steps calculated to injure
A. B. Cummins
A public declaration of neutrality
may be expected to emanate from
the governor at an early date. Gov
ernor Shaw is now absent from the
city, having left last night to go to
Grand Rapids, where he will deliver an
address this evening. Following his
address he will return to Chicago, and
there join the Iowa and Hamilton
club parties enroute to the inaugural
ton ceremonies. In case Governor
Shaw expresses himself on the Iowa
political situation before his return to
Des Moines, and defines his own posi-
ton, he is likely to assume the neutral
attitude on which he has decided.
Asked yesterday to make a state
ment of what his position would be
IN the campaign, Governor Shaw said
he was not prepared to do this for the
present. He left no doubt, however,
on the question of his desiring to as
sumo neutral attitude and of seek
ing not to be forced to enter into a
light against Cummins.
Governor Shaw, who has been fire.
quently mentioned as candidate for
the presidential nomination in 1904, is
looking forward to the time when he
may be chosen as the successor of
president Mckinley. In this fact is
found the reason for his wish to keep
out OF the gubernatorial fight in Iowa
TINS fail. He realizes the Importance
OF having a united Iowa delegation at
MS back in case be endeavors to win
the presidential nomination in 1904.
He has before him vivid recollections
OF the weakness of the cause of Alli-
son, when the latter went into con
yentlon against Mckinley, with half
hearted and apologize Iowa delegation
| at his back. He desires to avoid a
repetition of any such humiliating ex-
perience in his own case. Moreover,
| he is sufficiently shrewd and sagacious
as politician to realize that unless
he takes some step to conciliate the
anti-machine wing of the republican
party, he can never hope to gain
| strong and united backing in Iowa
What better time than now, in this
supreme contest of the machine and
anti-machine elements of the party,
for the governor to hold himself aloof
from factional strife and draw unto
himself the adherence of men he has
in the past bitterly opposed-this is
the question that presents itself to
the mind of the governor and his clos
EFT advisers
The reasons for public declaration
| from the governor at an early date
are easily understood Governor
I Shaw maintains he was forced into
the congressional fight in the Tenth
| district last summer that resulted in
the nomination Of Judge Conner,
whom he supported. He holds that in
view of the oft-repeated declarations
OF his enemies that the fight was a
Shaw and an anti-Shaw one, he could
do nothing else than take part in the
contest, inasmuch as the failure of
Conner, viewed in the light it was gen
4 crafty lOUhSu UPON, WOuiu nave ue'Sil
heralded everywhere as a turning
| down of Shaw in his own district.
The situation as to the governorship
is similar. Governor Shaw, for polit-
ical reasons connected with his aspira-
lions to the presidency, wants to keep
out of the fractional fight in the party
this year. Yet, if those who oppose
him persistently give the campaign,
prior to the convention of the republic
an party, a Shaw and. an anti-Shaw
aspect, and it is made to appear the
success OF Cummins is the defeat of
| Shaw, then the governor will feel he
has nothing else to do but to go into
the political arena and fight for his
political existence. If he feels the
situation is such that Cummins or any
other candidate can be nominated and
Shaw in no way discredited as pres
idential possibility, either in Iowa or
out of it, he says he will not permit
himself to be drawn into the fight. He
has made this clear to his friends re-
Gently and he is said to feel that cir
| cumstances are now such that he can
safely take neutral ground.
CLARK MAY HAVE. TO FIGHT.