The Alaska daily empire., 1920-03-18
INTEREST IS IN FIGHT OVER THE
 COMMITTEEMAN
Contest For Republican Lead ership in Alaska Is Center
 of Political Interest

Interest in the Alaska political
 icId during the last week has cen
 cred about the campaign for the 'teprbiic%n National Committeeman- ship. and the interesting feature or .hat campaign has been the inyas- ion of tho First Division by Harry 4. Mccain. who is now ill the South
 m end of the Division, in the in
 crest of the candidacy of John E. Choyin of Anchorage. who has re-
 :eivcd the unanimous endorsement of he Republican Club of Anchorage, md who has been endorsed by Re publican organizations at half
 dozen other Cook Inlet towns. MT. Mccain is also the accredited rep re 5entative of the Anchorage Re publican Club.
 MT. Choyin is. according to the representations of MT. Mccain, in he race primarily as result of he practically unanimous senti- ment of the Republicans of the Cook nlet country, that Charles E. Her ron, who is well known in that sec tion of the Territory, is not a prop CT person to represent the Republi- can party in Alaska. They contend that the Republican National Com mitteeman should be a bona fidt resident of the Territory and one who gains his livelihood in Alaska through legitimate Alaska enter, prise. They do not regard MT Heron as that kind of an Alaskan For many years he has resided 1T Seattle and made living by sell ing stock in ventures that are re- garded. to say the least impractica. ble and not businesslike. They have all proved failures as far as the investors and the results are con cerned.
 Efforts To Get Candidate Last Fall tho Anchorage Repub- licans, recognizing the peril of tho previously announced Heron can didacy, induced Milo Kelly to be- come candidate for National Com mitteeman. The latter said tha he did not want the place, byt ht consented. he said. while in Juneau
 in order to prevent Mir. Heron from getting it. Later, MT. Kelly's busi ness idetaining him in Seattle. ant finding that he would not have tim, to conduct a campaign, he withdrew
 ka Republicans induced J. R. Heck man to become a candidate for tn I office. and the Anchorage Republi can Club endorsed him for the DO i sition. Then Mir. Hcckman with drew, and week or so went by
 The officers of the Anchorage Re publican Club tried to find ou whether or not other sections O Alaska, including the First Divis 1 ion, would have a candidate. Fail ing to get a respohse. because a
 that time J. C. Mcbride had no announced his candidacy, members of the Anchorage Club got reluc tant consent from MT. Chovin to bt a candidate, and they assured tht meeting of the club at which hi. name was presented that they hat at last got a candidate who would not withdraw. At the time MT. Cho- win was unanimously endorsed al the most numerously attended meet ing the club had ever had--and the club contains 175 members--it was a candidate.
 
 Republicans Busy Everywhere
 In the meantime. Republicans oi Southeastern Alaska, Cordova and elsewhere in the Third Division. and Fairbanks. and elsewhere in tho Fourth Division, were, personally and by letter and telegraph, urging Mir. Mcbride to become q candi- date for National Committeeman Everywhere there was a settled con viction that MT. Heron was impos- sible as the representative of the Republican Party of Alaska. Mir Mcbride finally consented to run and announced his candidacy. Al that time it was not known in Ju- neau that MT. Chovin was candi- date or that he had been endorsed by the Republicans of Anchorage
 When Mir. Choyin was endorsed at Anchorage it was not known that there would be any other candidate against Mir. Heron, and when MT. Mcbride announced his candidacy it was not known in Juneau, Cor dova and other sections of Alaska that there would be any other can didate to compete with MT. Heron.
 Mcbride Not in Alaska
 Mir. Mcbride is now in Seattle on business, but his friends say that he will return to Alaska soon,. and that he will then begin an active campaign and continue the fight until the date of the primary.
 Mir. Heron Is in Seattle also, as far as known, but he spends most of hie ffma thprn ,vhan ha ic mi