The St. Louis Republic., 1904-02-11
Executives Friends Adopt Novel
Method of Conducting Cam
paign in Peoria County.
TRYING TO DEFEAT SHERMAN.
Antiadministration Forces Seem
to Have Majority, but Game of
Local Politics Is Being Play
ed to the Limit.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

REPTRI.IC SPECIAL.
Peoria, Ill. Feb. 10-Peoria County has
twenty-seven delegates in the Republican
state Convention. They will be selected
next Wednesday and. it is expected. will
be uninstructed for Governor. On the first
ballot Judge Sherman will have nearly all
of them, although Governor Yates may
secure seven or eight. possibly ten. Colo
rel LOwden is the present second choice
of both Sherman and Yates Peoria man.
ogars. The rural townships caucus next
Saturday afternoon and the Peoria wards
Monday evening at o'clock.
The issue here is somewhat complicat-
ed by the contest for State Senator. Sen
ator Putnam is anxious to succeed him.
self and is attached to the Yates wagon.
a stronger effort is being made this week
TO save Putnam than to help Yates. The
contest lies between the friends of Yates
posed to Yates and in favor of ex-Repre-
sentative Hart, candidate for Senator
against Putnam, on the other. Judge
Sherman is used as the buffer by the
antl-Yates following.
away In the county, but in the fall the
opposition began to organize and week
ago Yates was beaten out of sight. To
claim to a latent but formidable Lowden
sentiment, and, strange as it may seem,
Lowden's name is now coupled In a friend
ly way with that of Yates in nearly every
ward and township in the county.
SHOVE LOWDEN FORWARD.
The Governors agents have practically
abandoned an individual fight for him, and
have showed Lowdens name to the front.
1t is a peculiar situation and one that
must prove embarrassing to LOwden, as
well as Yates The issues have not been
changed by this new move, for they are
still Yates-Putnam and anti Hart,
with Sherman as first choice and LoHden
second choice of the latter.
There are 43l delegates in the County
Convention 263 from the city and 16S from
the country. There is no question but the
Sherman or anti-Yates faction will con-
troll. Putnam will not be renominated, and
McRoberts and Black probably will sue
coed themselves in the House.
There vas showdown between the fac
tons in the election of the president of the
Sixth Ward Club recently. The Govern
ants fifty. In the County Committee the
result was the same. although the jor-
ity was not SO large. Garrett Kinney of
the Board of Managers of the Pontiac Re
formatory and the Governors Peoria cap
tain was defeated for secretary of the
committee by Smith Atwood a Sherman
lite, By a vote of twenty-three to eighteen.
ISSUE DEFINED.
The issue was clearly defined on this
election. The committee placed Rich
woods Township with the Second Ward.
making it the largest division in the
county, with fifty-one delegates. 1t may
hold the balance of power. There will be
a warm contest in every ward in the
city and particulrly in the Second. The
element was certain of the
Second Ward and had the Governor beat
en- until last Friday. when Police Magis-
trate Frank Fox, hust!inS young fel-
low and friend of Lowden. entered the
race for chairman of the caucus. The
friends Immediately withdrew
claim they have show to elect him.
Mayor Woodruff and the city admins
tration are not active on either side, al
though Woodruff personally prefers Colo
mel Lowden to any other candidate.