The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-05
HEBER NJ. WELLS
FOR CONGRESS
Anti SmOOt Men Believe They
Have Found a Moses to
Lead Their Fight.
1T LOOKS BAD FOR HOWELL
MACHINE LIKELY TO DITCH HIM
FOR A DARK HORSE.

Ex-Governor Heber NJ. Wells is be-
ing advanced as dark horse candidate
for the Republican nomination for con-
gress. Encouraged by the storm of op-
position which the Smoot machines
| support Of Congressman Joseph Howell
for denomination has raised all over the
state. the Wells men are. beginning to
sit up and take notice of the situation,
and are arguing that all the elements
| of opposition to Howell can be concen-
| trated on Mr.. Wells. They are trying
/ TO fix up deals with the supporters OF
Farley P. Christensen and w. d. Liv-
ingston. The greatest drawback, it is
| said, is Mr. Wells own unwillingness
| to accept the nomination.
| The SmOOt machine is facing a crisis
and its leaders know it. Three months
ago they imagined that they would
/ have a walkover in renOminating How
| ell; but so much opposition has deveI-
oped that they are uncertain of their
| ability to renominate him under any
! circumstances. They are casting about
| already for a dark horse, while Mr..
! Howell himself has told at least a dozen
people that ne is Indifferent as to
whether he is renominated or not, and
that he will withdraw before the con-
vention If he sees that he cannot win.
| Doesn't Look Good to Smoot.
1t goes without saying that Senator
Smoot will go the limit to prevent the
nomination of Mr.. Wells Mr. Wells
wants to be United States senator: he
/ thinks he would grace the seat that Mr..
Smoot now occupies, and. if he accept
ed the congressional nomination at all,
1t would be because he thought that an
! election to congress would aid him in
the senatorial fight which he undoubt-
eddy intends to wage two years from
now.
Whether he is reelected or not. or
! whether he runs for reelection or not.
Smoot doesn't want Wells to succeed
him in the senate. In brief, the two
men are rivals for the leadership OF the
Republican party in Utah; SmOot is on
TOP now, although his place is begin
ming to get somewhat shaky. and lie
doesn't propose that Wells shall Set a
| leverage which will send him to the
serate.
Realizing, however, that Wells or
some equally Objectionable man is like
ly to capture the nomination as a dark
horse. the Smoot crowd is already con-
sidering the advisability of ditchine
Howell and taking uD with a dark
horse Of their own. The daily confer
ences which take place in the United
States maTshaTs Office are devoted al
of the dependable supporters of the
machine in every county in the state
TO see If some available man cannot be
/ picked out TO supersede Howell as the
machine candidate for congress. The
mention Of Wells sends the cold shivers
down the backs Of this precious coterie.
More Trouble for Smoot.
But there is more trouble in store for
Senator Smoot at the state convention.
A resolution viii probably be intro
duCed recommending to the party that
Senator Shoots successor be NOM
irated in the Republican state conven-
ton which will assemble in 1908, thus
following the example of both the Re
publican and Democratic parties in
Idaho. An intimation of this program
has been conveyed to the Smoot gang
and they are opposed to it with one
voice
| Such a program would mean the
downfall of Smoot, in all probability,
even if he should get the consent of
! the church to run for re-elsction-a
thing which in itself is regarded as
doubtful. If the senator were to be
nominated two years hence in the state
convention, it would force Smoot to
make a fight in the open for an In
dOrsement in every county Of the state
and with the growth of the anti-ma-
chine sentiment in the state, he would
have more trouble than one apostle
could well attend to.
The object OF those who favor the
nomination of a senator in convention
in introducing the resolution providing
for 1t in this years convention is 10
start the agitation for a popular choice
early. and let the people thing il over
for two years. So Mr.. Smoot is likely
to have even more important things 10
think about in the state convention
than the nomination of a candidate for
congress.
Livingston May Run.
The belief is gaining ground that w.
d. Livingston of Manti will be a can
didate for congress at the state conven-
ton in opposition to Mr.. Howell Mr..
Livingston has authorized no an
nouncement of his candidacy as vet.
but Salt Lake politicians are proceed
ing on the theory that he Is a candi-
date, and that his strength in the south
will be used in any combination that
may be formed to defeat Howell.
Farley p. Christensen is firmly con-
WINGED that he has the nomination in
his vest pocket. While politicians as
d rule 90 not think, he will win. they
believe generally that he will have
votes enough to be a most serious fac
tor in the convention.
The Wells dope" however, is the
most reasonable that the anti-HoweIl
men have sprung yet, and politicians as
a rule believe that it would be easier
70. 70