The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-09
CANDIDATES ARE SHY
ANTI-VAN SAINT MEN WANT sovE
ONE TO BREAK ICE
FOR THEM
THEY EXPECT SENATORS HELP
Attitude of Federal Officers ana I.er--
fsIators Convinces Insurgents
That Nelson and CIapp
VIII Take Hands.

"A candidate to break the ice in the hunt
Ior van SAINTS scalp is the main object
OF the quest Of the Republican INSURGENTS
Candidates under the rose are not o1lite
as scarce as hens teeth, but the man
With sufficient backbone to take the first
plunge and the attendant consequences is
the required Individual
Congressman Joel Heatwole left last
night for Washington to take a hand IN
the Cuban reciprocity fight. The situa-
ten as left by the Third district organ
izer was little different than he found If
except that he went away with liberal
assurances of support from men who
stand in the front rank of the party.
That no definite plan of action was d.
cided upon is evident from the fact that
the anti-Van SAINT men from without the
precincts of the Third are as much AZ
sea as they were before Heatwole came
ana they do not expect to know fully tha
ground they are treading upon until the
hands Of the United States senator's are
felt in the play.
That Nelson and CIapp. especially the
latter, must get into the game. Is recJg-
nized on every hand and that the first
move must be made quickly to be eff
fectiYe is as generally admitted The
undisguised dismay Of prominent legfs-
lators and the interest Of federal an-
pontees indicates that the WASHINGTON
hand Will be seen. The federal men have
gone carefully over the entire state and
their views are anything but Optimistic.
Ihat they express the views Of their SUI
PeIlorS IS hardly TO be questioned. A
federal official yesterday said:
Senator's Have Direct Interest.
Senators Nelson and CIapp cannot AZ
Lord 10 keep their hanus of i'm this fight.
prominent members OF the LEGISLATURE
OF
denomination II Van SAINT is nominated.
In my Judgment, if Van SAINT Is nominat-
ca ne viii be beaten by not less thar
5000 and his defeat in an off year win,
carry without the defeat Of the Repub-
hc7n legislative ticket Senator Nelson
VIII again he q candidate i'm four Years
Clapp's trial on his own hook comes in
two years. Neither. especially MOI Clam
can AFFORD 90 take the chances of Iosing
tight in campaign which ir Olives tina
election not Of the house alone. but ais,
the senate. He cannot afford to have
even a large hole made i'm the present
Republican majority, as he is almost
sure TO have opposition which VIII leave
MS fate III the HANDS of the Ippositf9n
even If it be i'm the minority"
The disposition to lead the 8nli-Van
SAINT race for the nomination fs nor
wanting. The start is what rs bothering
the BaFkiSeS. They figure that tho man
who makes the first break as d candidate
Wall draw the fire and leave the desired
nomination plum to be pulled down bv
a later entry. That there would be other
aspirants in the field as soon AS the
ught could be got well under way is
OBVIOUS, unless possibly the frs, candi-
date were Justice Collins. who lis relortsd
as having first mortgage ON three dis
trlct delegations to start, if he viii coma
INTO the open Several other euberua-
torial possibilities are in positions that
Will leave them tied tg Che Van SAINT
post until they are freed by the advent
. oI another candidate, when they might
enter the race on the Plea that since &c
feat stared Van SAINT IN the face t Isl
up to them to protect their own interests.
Committee Helps Antis.
AS a result of tire peculiarly mixed
situation time IS one Of the most desired
quantities from the insurgant standpoint
and haste the chief demand of the Van
SAINT machine. The executive committee
has done its best to supply the required
representation by sitting ON tne Van
SAINT demand for an early convention BY
a vote OF practically two to one At the
same time the members showed their
hands. -Four out Of the seven were hos
tile to Van SAINT and spoke their minCf
right out In meeting Some Of them wers
also hostile to Bixby and advocated a
new machine as well as new candidate
These members would gladly accept the
services of HeatWole as manager and
some Of them would welcome him as q
candidate with q view to pittiug him
against Clapp two years hence They
say HeatWole can go to the senate only
from the governors office and that the
present will be his last chance for many
a day.