Evening star., 1925-09-17
Senator Gets lump on 0p-
ponent in Struggle for
G. 0.P. Nomination.
CHICAGO FACTIONS DUE
TO FIGURE IMPORTANTLY
Incumbent and Other Candidate
Are Coolidge Backers-Primary
to Be in April.
By G.. GOULD LINCOLN.

campaign for Republican nomination
for United States Senator from I'LL
nois, the seat now held by Senator
William B. Mckinley, is already
under way, although the primaries
at which the nomination will be made
are not held until April 13, 1926.
Senator Mckinley is a candidate to
succeed himself and strong one.
The other candidate-only one other
has so far come outs Col. Frank
L. Smith, chairman of the Republican
State central committee and a mem
Der of the Illinois Commerce Com
mission and the Public Utilities Com
mission. His candidacy has been put
forward by Republican National
Committeeman Moore, successor of
the late Fred W. Upham, as mem
Der of the committee. Mr.. Moore
was selected by the State central
committee for this job after Mr.
Uphams death.
No Split in Party
There is no question of progressives
and stalwarts such as has torn Wis
conSln aSunder. Senator Mckinley
is stanch supporter of President
Coolidge and his administration. He
IS as regular as clock. The party
whip never has TO worry about his
vote on party measures. Col. Smith,
on the other hand, is no less stall
wart. He has been chairman of the
State central committee many times
He has been a candidate III the
Republican primaries for lieutenant
governor, governor and Senator, and
when he has failed to win the nomi-
nation he has invariably taken off
his coat and gone to work to elect
his successful competitor. He is
known as the best loser in the world.
He is anxious to show how good a
winner he is. He did serve a term
in the House of Representatives,
being elected in 1918 But his am
bitions have not lain in the House.
Some of those who know him we'll
insist that his real deep-down ambi-
ton is to be Governor of Illinois.
However that may be, he is
trotted out now for the senatorial
nomination. Not, unnaturally, one
wonders what is the issue in the
campaign between two such regular
Republicans. There is none, so far
as can be learned, except the desire
of one man TO remain in office and
the desire of another to succeed him.
together with the desire of one group
of regular Republicans to supplant
the present Senator with another.
Mckinley Is Campaigning.
Senator Mckinley is out in the
State today campaigning. He has
been at it ever since Congress ad-
journed last March. As a campaign
er he is the most systematic, per-
sistent and painStaking candidate in
American politics. He visits every
city, town and hamlet in the State.
He goes up one side of Main street
and down another, talking to big
Republicans and little; he attends
meetings of chambers of commerce,
the kiwaniS Club, church meetings
and school meetings. He takes
county at a time and cleans it up.
In his office here in Chicago hangs a
map of the State, and on it are scat
tered green and purple headed tacks.
Every time he completes his canvass
Of county a purple tack supplants
a green. There are many purple ones
on the map today. He travels about
the State in his automobile and has
a regular schedule each day which
keeps him busy from 8 in the morn
ing until nighttime. Four days in
each week he devotes to this kind
three he rests from his labors, at
tends to business and enjoys him
self.
Smith Opening Headquarters.
Col. Smiths name was put for
ward only 10 days ago by Mr.. Moore
and he is just opening up headquar-
ters and getting under way. AL
though the primaries are seven
months away. he has got TO move
rapidly to overtake the active Senator
Mckinley.
Both the candidates are said to be
millionaires, though Senator Mckinley
is many times a millionaire. Col.
Smith is a real estate man and both
are reckoned good fellows. Person
ally, they have been friendly in the
past and the campaign is not likely
to strain these relations. Indeed, Col.
Smith, who is colonel by virtue of ap-
pointment to the governors staff, was
candidate for the senatorial nomina-
tion against Senator Mckinley In 1920.
He was defeated at that time by only
IL 900 votes. which is a mighty close
race in a State where the votes are
counted by hundreds of thousands.
Although the present senatorShip
row is a down State" affair. the Re
publican factions in Chicago are likely
to play a big part in it before it is
over. Illinois makes it a practice to
send to the Senate one Senator from
Chicago and one from down State"
Deneen is tho Senator from Chicago.
He was nominated in the primaries
of 1924 over the late Senator Medill
Mccormick, and Mckinley supported
Mccormick in that race.
Supported BY Small.
Furthermore, Smith has been identi-
fed with the Len Small administration
through his acceptance of place on
the Public Utilities Commission and
he gave his support to Small in the
bitter campaign of last year.
The politicians here are eagerly
waiting to see whether Gov. Small is
now going to lend his support to
Smiths candidacy, and also to see
what Senator Deneen will do. They
are watching to see where the Lun-
deem faction, the Thompson faction,
the Barrett Grove faction and the
Brundage faction of Republicans are
going to light When Col. Smith ran
against Mckinley in 1920 the Thomr
son faction backed Smith. In that
year Mckinley lost Cook County,
Continued on Page 9 Column