The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-21
FOUR MEN WANT EtGER'S SEAT
FIGHT FOR A SENATORSHIP IN
MICHIGAN.

SEVERAL Wore CNnuluAVou tDr inc RI3CD
Have Not Yet Announced Themselves
Tho situation Complicated by h
New Primary Election Law.
DETROIT. Mich. Oct. Flour candidates
are openly after the seat in the United
States Senate to be vacated by Cen. Russell
A. Alger 4 spring. They are William
G. Mcmillan OF this city, son Of the late
Senator James McMillan; Arthur Hill Of
Saginaw, a wealthy Mmberman and a
Regent OF The State University; Congress
man Charles E.. Townsend Of jackson. who
has acquired prestige by his activity In
b passage Of the. railroad rate regula-
ton bill, and Congressman William Alden
Smith Of Grand Rapids, with six terms to
his credit in the House.
Mr.. Mcmillan, Mr.. Hill and Congressman
Townsend ara all residents Of the eastern
side Of the State, while Congressman Smith
is q resident Of the west side. This fact 10
Of importance because the precedent Of
the Republican party Is that one Senator
shall be a resident Of the west and n q
resident Of the east side Of the State. SenA-
tor julius Cesar Burrows Of Kalamazoo
at present represents the west side.
Besides the four active candidates there
1I0 DoVGIaI OtOSTb WnOD6 cn6CthOu 10 D8IuK
suggested by their friends. Railroad Com
missioner Theron W. Atwood a y he Is
not q candidate, but he has warm friends
who have come to look upon him as the
most efficient organizer in the party and
who insist that he be elected.
Gov. Fred M. Warner also disavows any
designs On the S~enatorship, but is enjoying
an increased popularity or the eve Of his
election to a second term. He, too, has
friends who refuse to be silent onthe Senator
ship, although the Constitution Of Michigan
carries q provision against his election
during the term for which he will be elected
Governor. The Governors admirers de-
clare the United States Senate il the Judge
OF its own membership and that II the
people of Michigan wanted the Governor
to represent them in the Senate he o
be seated in spite Of the Constitution.
Truman H. Newberry, Assistant Secretary
Of the Navy, In persistently mentioned as a
possibility in spite Of his repeated dis
chalmers. Congressman McMorran, Con-
gresham Hamilton, Congressman Samuel
W. Smith, and other local statesmen nave
also numerous friends who advise their
election.
The election is TO be made by the Legis-
lature in January. The Legislature con-
sists Of 1872 members, 100 in the House Of
Representatives and t~hirty-two in the State
Senate. IL is the manner OF nominating
the candidates for the Legislature this year
that has contributed considerably to the
indefiniteness OF the situation. The Lsgis-
lRture in 1905 enacted the first general
primary election Law in the history Of the
State.
The Republican platform called for a
primary election law that would allow the
political subdivisions Of the State to adopt
the direct nominating system or retain the
------g-- - 2N~~ls-. a. 49, ill -
the voters and after a long fight a law was
passed following this general principle,
but including a provision for the direct
nomination Of candidates for Governor
and Lieutenant-G Governor, the names Of
candidates for nomination to be placed on
the primary ballots BY petition.
In forty-three Representative districts
and in eleven Senatorial districts the Re-
publicans adopted the new law and nomi-
nations were made in these districts by
direct vote on September 4. In four other
counties, including Wayne and Kent, the
largest two in the State, twenty-one can
didates for the House md six for tho Sem
ate were nominated by direct vote under
special local laws which had previously
been passed and which were not interfered
with BY the general State law. In all sixty
four Republican nominees for the House
n seventeen for the Senate were nomi-
mated by direct vote.
In no previous contest for United States
Senator IN this btaJe nave so may hepuD-
licans been nominated for the Legislature
who stand unpledged TO any candidate and
who declare they will vote as they please
when the time comes.
The lack OF interest in the nominations
Of the Democratic party in Michigan for
members of the Legislature is due to the
fact that not a single Democrat was elected
to either House in 1904 and hat only eleven
were elected in 1902. The election Of five
or ten Democrats is regarded as possible
or even probable in 1908 among the Re-
publican leaders themselves.
At all events it is probable that it will
take more than sixty votes to control the
Republican Senatorial caucus. A straw
vote taken by a Detroit paper among eighty
seven Republican nominees recently dis
closed the fact that all but twenty-five
were not prepared to vote either for first
or second choice and that those who did
vote were about evenly divided among
the more active Candidates.
Perhaps the most interesting develop
ment in the campaign was the election last
month OF five Republican candidates for
the House Of Representatives in Wayne
county pledged to Congressman Townsend
against an organized slate put up in the
interests Of Mr.. Mcmillan among his home
people. The effect has been to add largely