The daily Alaskan., 1906-07-09
rEEFAvoR1rEs AND TEE FIELD

THE FAvoRITES AND TIE FIELD
 Richard Ryan who is now in Juneau prospecting for the delegatesbiP pre- sen,s not 8 very pretty picture of the convention. Nome, O. the Seward Denuinsuls, will go there with two sets of delegates, both bringing credentials representing them to be the true re- preseutatlves of that section. This means war and a complete division ot the work and influence of that section, where harmony and concentration Is ,bs thing desired. It indicates another thing however that at least the re publicsns of the Nome district take this convention seriously. That 1t does so is probably due to Mir. Ryan himself. He has been in Washington all winter and desires to go again and depended upon the support of the people of the peninsula. What divides the sentiment there is not made entirely plain but the presumption $ that it is for and against Mir. Ryan. Then again the miners Of the Nome country have set up a candi- date of their own to still further divide up the voting when it comes to that. Now in the interior, the Tanana country, the people seem to be Of one. mind, so much so that they have sent nothing more to this convention than their regrets-they will not be there. Republicans and democrats alike have endorsed the candidate of the miners Thomas Gale.
 The committee having charge of Coles campaign have, it is reported, struck bargain with the miners of Nome, they will support the Nome man for the short term if Gale is supported down that way for the long term. If this reciprocal treaty is effective it makes the election of Gale to the long term practically certain, for besides these Valdez has said it will support any candidate ou which the Tanana might unite. The Tanana is unit and valdez may be expected to keep her word. And besides Gale can be expect ed to get 8 large share of the miners vote throughout the rest of the dis trict.
 This concentrates the interest on the. snort term candidate, 80 far ss the work of Saturdays convention is concerned as well as of the several independents iu the field.
 Let us look the field over with this regard. So far DO one of all the candi- dates who will go before it-ShouD, Ryan, Murrane, Youngs-has said that he will be bound by the action of the convention. Youngs has said that he will not. The utility of the convention under the circumstances is not clear, though of course it serves the purpose of an advertising medium for the am- bilious. Its only other effect so far as can be seen is to add to the general discord. Party lines, whatever may be said about twill not be observed in the voting. It will be a question sharply defined as between the man who will best serve the interests of Alaska-and who will best serve the interests of the great corporations of this country.
 Former Governor SwinefOrd stands squarely for the people, for representa- tive self government. He is part ot the history of Alaska, his position is unquestioned, his course has been true to the line from the day he set foot in the north. He seeks election for de- finite purpose-a purpose to fulfill the desires of the real people of Alaska, the patriotic people of the soil.