Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-17
TALK OF THE SENATORSHIP
Friends Of Willard and Webster to Fight
for FOutanelle Support.
INDIANS WOULD RATHER MAKEA GOVERNOR
webster Counts on Getting HELP from
wattIes-Democratic Contest In
wolves Ambitions OF Hitch
cock ana Thompson.

The conference held last week by
Senator Willard to devise ways and means
of promoting his candidacy for reelection
followed as It was by the meeting OF
Webster boosters 10 launch the senatorial
boom Of John l.. Webster has started the
talk OF senatorial possibilities fun on. 1t
is already plain that Senator Milard's
prediction that there would be plenty of
aspirants JOr the senate is to be fulfilled
particularly right here in his own home
in Omaha where three announced entries
are already listed with more in prospect.
Both Willard and Webster are playing for
a Fontauelle endorsement. A member OF
the board Of governors who speaks from
the inside describes the situation in the
club in this way:
"Onc plan is to keep the senatorship and
everything Of that sort in the background
until after the city election. The first thing
in hand with us Is to elect Benson mayor
and get Installed in the city hall and all
state and national politics must be sub
ordinatod to that. Let the would-be senator's
all come out and help elect Benson and
then we will be ready to talk TO them.
THE fact is that both Willard and
Webster have friends inside the Fontanelle
club but the men who run things there
feel that the club does not owe either of
them a thing Willard had his chance to
get solid when we asked him TO name Tom
Blackburn for United States district at
torney and when ne refused we told hiEi
he would be begging for favors Of us be-
fore he got through. Webster never did
anything for us either for that matter
he never was known to do anything for
anybody in politics except when he was
after something for himself, but stnl some
Fnlr ba 81 Ia 10 IN wi him
because We have to back somebody and
he might possibly be made winner with
our help. I loek for a good hard fight in
side tho club between the Willard and
Webster adherents.
Prefer Saunders for Governor.
THE truth is we Fontanelles are not so
welded to this senatorship business any
way We know several pegs we would like
90 stick rather than make either Willard
or Webster senator. You heard the shout
ing that greeted Charlie Saunders, when
we ratified the Benson nomination and all
the boys yelling for Governor Saunders
Wen. the uppermost wish OF the big
Fontanelltes is to make Charlie Saunders
governor OF Nebraska and this year is the
time to do II or It will have to be put of
at least four years We know we can't
get the senator and the governor both, but
we might line up behind a man like
Webster, just TO carry Douglas county for
delegation without any show of persuad-
ing the state to come to him and then pull
the governorship out for Charlie Saunders.
Stranger things than that have happened.
II the Fontanelles finally decide to line ND
behind some senatorial candidate. I tell
you It will be not so much because they
want him as because they believe they can
use him TO accomplish the real purpose"
1.-THE funniest thing yet developed in the
senatorship contest" declared an old timer
lis the way the political firm of Baxter
and Van Dusen is splitting up. Did you
notice how Baxter was in with the inner
counsels of the Willard brigade, while his
partner Van Dusen. as a Webster leader
is promising to deliver the goods for South
Omaha to Webster IT'S really funny"
wattIeS-Webster Merger.
The Webster debut is taken as proof
conclusive that G w. Wattles will not get
into the senatorial race-at least not in
the open. The Webster boom is regarded as
postscript of the Wattes agitation. "Mr.
Webster would not have come out so long
as wattles was figuring" declared n friend
of Mr.. Webster. you see Webster is
the regular salaried attorney OF the Omaha
Street Railway company, OF which Wattles
is the political master hand and he could
not cross Wattles' political plans As a
lawyer Webster has also been under obli-
cation to Willard FOR several big cases,
but he does not take that enjoining any
political fealty. ! have heard it suggested
that Webster smay be put to the front TO
get delegation to be turned over later 10
Wattles but I hardly believe that would
work, as Webster would want to hang on
until all chance of delivering TO some one
else had passed II Is certain. however,
that the influence and money of Wattles
will be behind Webster IL it gees anywhere,
In the meanwhile the question OF the
ssnatoTship is stirring not only the republl-