The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1902-07-31
Racine Manufacturer is Nominated for
the State Senate after a Long
and Bitter Contest.
DEFEAT FOR JOHN +. REYNOLDS,
Kenosha Remained Loyal, but Racine Po-
liticians Forgot Ancient Pledges and
Named One of Their Number.


district by the convention in Racine
Wednesday night after more than four
hours of ba11oting. The nominee Of
the convention is Spooner man and
Sta1wart and has all the requisites
of a successful candidate. His norni-
nation came as compromise between
the two Racine districts, he receiving
the united vote of Racine county while
Kenosha county stuck to Reynolds and
on the ballot which named Mr.. John
son Reynolds received the full vote of
the Kenosha delegation.
When Mr.. Johnson was named it
was getting late in the evening.
Forty ballots had been taken by the
convention and it was evident that the
Racine factions had decided to beat
the Kenosha candidate if it took ali
night to do it. For hours the dele
gates had wrang1ed. Deal after deal
had been made only to be broken with
the re-assembling of the convention.
It was Reynolds against the field and
the field seemed to contain every as
county. Blakey held the strength Of
the second Racine district to the ballot
before the final and on this ballot
Judge D. F. F1ett, of Racine, was
given twenty-three votes and the nom
nation. Judge Flett appeared before
the convention stating that he could
not give the time for the work. His
dec1ination was seemingly sufficient
for the delegates and they at once
switched to Johnson.
In some ways the convention was a
peculiar one. No one seemed to be
able to see just why such a strong
fight was made against the nomina-
ton of Senator Reynolds until late in
the evening when it was learned that
at the recent State convention the La
Toilette men from the second Racine
district had been called into the con-
ference of the Half Breeds at Madison
and they were notified that whatever
happened in this district John F. Rey-
nolds should not be returned to the
State Senate.
The LaFo1lette men were greatly In
the minority in the Senatorial conven-
ton, they having but twelve Of the
thirty-six delegates, but the whip of
the governor, aided by the greediness
of the Racine politicians to take every
thing in sight, was sufficient to secure
the defeat of the Kenosha candidate.
The ancient agreement of the party
which has given to Racine the Con-
gresham and to Kenosha the lesser
honor of naming the State Senator has
now been broken and it is feared that
the greediness of the Racine politi-
clans to capture everything in sight
will break the old lake shore combina-
ton.
While the Racine delegates seemed
willing to unite on some other Keno
sha man it is thought that some of the
delegates were not sincere in these
offers and that knowing that Kenosha
was solid for Reynolds the delegates
took this ruse to secure the nomina-
ton Of a Racine man.
Senator Reynolds remained at the
convention to the finish and was the
dominating spirit of the Kenosha
delegation. Although he had been
told that the Racine city delegates
we're planning to defeat him he refused
to give up the contest and the Kenosha
delegation stood with him to the very
last.
There was no apparent soreness at
the convention and as soon as the Ra-
cine delegates had named the candi-
date the Kenosha delegation, through
their leader, moved that the nominal
ton be made unanimous. The Blakey
element in the convention displayed
the only soreness of the day. For
many years Blakey had sought the
nomination for Senator and as the
Union Grove man is now on the shady
side of life it is thought that this de-
feat will retire him to the political
back ground. Blakey might have
been nominated had it not been for the
fact that his delegates came into the
convention on LaFollette platform
and the Union Grove man had done
nothing to disprove the statements
that had been made in regard to his
close connection with the governors
forces. He was undoubtedly the can
didate of the administration and the
delegates would not allow such man
to be named.
There seems to be a feeling among
the Racine delegates that the nominee
of the convention will not accept the
honor conferred upon him. At the
time of his nomination Mr.. Johnson
was out of the city and there was no
one who was qualified to speak for him.
He was the darkest horse in the con-
vention and up to the fortieth ballot
he had not received vote in the con-
vention. 1t is claimed that he has as
pirations to go to Congress and that
he regards the election to the State
Senatorship as a possible stepping
stone to the greater honor.
The candidate is we'll known among
the politicians of Racine county, but
he is not known in Kenosha county.
He is a representative business man
and holds position Of trust with the
Fish Bros. Wagon company. Politi-