The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-11-13
BITTER STRUGGLE
ON IN ILLINOIS
The Election but a Minor Incident
in Republican fractional
Contest.
cuLLoM FIGHTING FOR LIFE.
Defeat of Democratic Congress
men Loses the Senior Senator
Patronage Which He Can
Ill Spare.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
chicago. Nov. 12.-Some slight consola-
ZION remains to the Democracy of Illinois
In the fact that the late landslide which
swept into Congress all but one Of the
Republican congressional nominees, and
Into the Legislature an overwhelming ma
5ority OF the lower house, marked the
starting point of n fractional fight which
FOR bitterness and undisguised and open
warfare will stand unparalleled in the
States political history.
The ultimate result to be attained will
bs the control Of the party machinery for
the election Of 1906 prior to the selection
OF a Legislature which will choose a sue
cessor to Shelby II. CulIom for the term
beginning March 4, 1907. The immediate
bone Of contention is the speakership Of
tho House and the distribution of State
and legislative patronage coincident with
the Inauguration Of ~Governor-elect Deneen.
As something Of a sid issue, there is a
Mayor to be elected In Chicago next April,
and the presenatorial contest may enter
to a certain extent into this question.
Senator Cullom is entering upon a strug-
gle for the retention of his seat in the
Senate Of tho United States, which, for
complex conditions surrounding the situa-
ton and for the number of elements which
must be reconciled, has never been
equaled. though the senior Illinois Senator
has been up against some pretty hard
propositions.
-Four years ago the situation was COM
~paratively simple for the Sangamon County
statesman. who has been In Congress for
SO long that he would not know how to
act away from Washington. He had crly
John r. Tanner to fight. Tanner ow ned
the State administration, body and sou,
and every man Of his appointees worked
night and day in every district of the
State for him. Cullom. on the other hand,
had absolute control Of the Federal jobs
In Illinois. including the patronage of the
Democratic congressional districts, among
which were the Springfield district, CsId-
wells; Crowley's constituency, and the Bob
Williams district. and IT was the 20. X"
Of Cullom that placed in office practically
all Of the Postmasters of these districts.
Furthermore. he had the support of that
vi ~ SoOh Scdlty ftGpuDllCl1
party which refused to be bossed by the
Lorimer crowd. and which succeeded in
sending to the Legislature some Senators
n Representatives who could not be
handled by h Cook County machine. The
big Federal appointments in the State
at large were at that time fairly satisfac-
tory, and the question Of reelection to
the Springfield man was a simple mat
ter Of perfecting the organization Of his
friends and appointees. Tanner decisive
defeat shows how well this perfection was
attained.
This time 1t is going to be another prop
oation entirely. and. two years before the
scrap has any right to open, Governor
Richard Yates has every preparation made
to insert just as many thrusts and as close
to the political heart Of Senator ChIlom
as q State administration can do, and It
must be conceded that Yates has a per-
sonal organization in his political allies
end underlinys which II well nigh unri-
vailed.
In fact Yates began his open attacks
upon Cullom at the last State Convention.
and had Frank o. Lowden and Lorimer
agreed to desert Cullom and the Federal
aA6 GO IL was bho SbiANueu
Colonel and not Deneen might be now the
Governor-elect. The tiff at the Chicago
Convention when the Craftsmanship of the
Illinois delegation was an issue between
Cullom and Yates. was but another round
in the bout. Cullom won because Law
renee Y. Sherman could not deliver as
many district delegates to the Yates-De-
neen-Sherman-Hamlin alliance as had
been expected and promised.
The incident Of last Tuesday jumped in
to office three Republican Congressman in
districts which nave heretofore been
strong with their Democratic majorities.
incidentally three Republican Congress-
men will apply in person at the White
House. representing their constituents
who are looking for misunderstanding. and
who will run around the Post-ofice De-
partment on their own account. urging
new rural routes and extensions Of old
ones. Naturally this portion Of the bust
ness will fall from Culiom's hands, and It
will be sadly missed when the time comes
to frame UP legislative tickets in Southern
Illinois districts.
Since the election of Hopkins to the Sem
ate. CuIlom's grip on the Illinois patron
age has been gradually loosening. Tacit
divided the State between the
Hopkins to take the northern por-
ton, with the Chicago offices and kindred
places, while Cullom was left with the
Southern district and the handling OF the
congressional districts. This
is said to partially explain the lukewarm-
ness of the senior Senator in the campaign
OF two years ego, when his active infu-
ence might have elected Pleasant T.
Chapman to Congress over Bob Williams, |
majority was but a few hundred.
with Rives from Litchfield in control of
the Springfield district. and Captain Dick
son from vandalia handling the goods in
Crewley's bailiwick, and
Chapman well seated in his district, there
seems TO be very little left for the CulIom
men in Southern Illinois. The Twentieth
District. the only one left with a Demo-
Congressman is ,Yates's own, and
all the Federal patronage in the State
could not keep it away from him as the
organization now stands.
Another obstacle to the Cuilom victory Is |
the practical destruction of the old Chi |
cage machine. headed by Lorimer and
Jamieaon. and the absolute power Of the
newly elected Governor over every eIe- |
ment which now has any strength in
Cook County politics.