The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-12-28
Administration Forces iii the
State Have Hard Time in
Making up Official Slate.
TOO MANY FAVORITE SONS
LaFollette Organization Fears Much
Unpleasantness on Account of the
Large Number of the Men Who
Have Worked in the Ranks.

AS far as visible signs are concerned
the LaFollette leaders accomplished
very little toward the elimination Of
candidates in the state and congression-
al races at the conference which was
held in Milwaukee last week. All those
who have so far been in the field for
nominations \seem still to be continuing
in the contest and are positively assert
-fng-that they have no idea of leaving
the field. In fact, the outlook seems
to be that all Of them will remain i'll
the contests if their talk is to be taken
seriously, and that regular contests
for nomination will be very much in
order in the September primaries next
year.
There is, however, an undercurrent
which does not come from the candi-
dates themselves which would indi-
ate that some Withdrawals may be
expected within the next few weeks.
They will not occur, probably, until
some time in January or until after
there have been some more confer
ences held for the ostensible reason of
the elimination Of candidates, but
there is talk in certain circles of with
drawals that is given with a confidence
which would indicate that the per-
sons who are talking have reason to
believe the contests where they are not
wanted by the LaFollette leaders are
to be avertod.
With reference to the candidates for
the nomination for attorney general,
the nomination over which the LaFol-
lette people have been the most ex-
ercised because they do not desire to
see denomination given Attorney
General Levi H. Bancroft in the pri-
mary, the best posted LaFollette men
declare with emphasis that there will
be only single candidate in the field
against Mr.. Bancroft. Whether the
withdrawing candidate will be Philip
Lehner or Walter G. Owens these lead
ers credited with being on the inside
will not say, but they tell the political
correspondents that they can write it
down as q certainty that there will be
only single candidate in the field for
the Republican nomination for attorney
general bearing the progressive banner.
Philip Lehner has gone to Washing
ton in connection with his duties, and
will not be back in the state before late
in January, SO there will probably be
no new developments in regard to this
nomination until after his return.
When he comes back to Wisconsin,
however, there win be a conference be-
tween his friends and friends Of Sena-
tor Owen, and at the conclusion of the
conference it will be announced which
of the men will be in the field against
Mr.. Bancroft. At least this is the way
the inner circle men arc now talking
about the matter, and thay hint that
they have pretty good idea which of
the men will be the candidate, al
though they are not as yet prepared to
make it public.
Not so much was done in Milwau-
kee in the way of discussing the
nomination for secretary Of state as
> in regard to that for attorney general,
for the reason that the LaFollette
leaders who are managing the elimina-
tion program seem to have pretty
fixed idea that when the proper time
comes this situation can be settled
without much trouble. There is a
growing opinion that when this situa-
tion comes to q last analysis it may be
Senator John s. Donald of Dane
county rather than Senator Harry Mar
tin of Lafayette county who will be
started as the LaFollette candidate
for secretary of state At least, there
is great deal of talk now among the
LaFollette leaders that Senator Donald
would make az strong candidate if he
should enter the field and there would
be good deal of strength added to
the progressive slate if he should be
placed upon it. Such talk as this from
the progressive leaders would not in
dictate they were unfriendly to
Donald S candidacy, despite the talk
of state fair week that Senator Mar
tin was the favored candidate as far
as progressive slatemaking went.
If the progressive leaders accomplish
the elimination of candidates as they
now say they will, they will have done
something which was not expected, as
it was not generally believed previous
to the Milwaukee conference. that the
political situation could be so arrang-
ed that there would not be conflicts
for places on the state ticket as re-
CARDS the ambitions of prog essive can
didates. In fact, $50 many of the men
who were DESTROYS Of nominations were