Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-18
DEATH OF SPENCER
OPENS SENATE RACE
Contest for Missouri May
Bring Pershing or Davis
as Candidate.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

out of the death here Saturday night
of Senator Selden p. Spencer, Re
publican, is the center of attention in
| political circles today.
| Missouri was regarded as debatable
ground, to say the least, in the sena-
torial contests coming next year, with
! Senator Spencer as the probable
| nominee to succeed himself. IT is still
| debatabe ground, although the pic
| ture has changed Senator Spencer
| during his service in the Senate had
| acquired not few political enemies.
Democrats were confident they could
defeat him. if he were nominated
and notwithstanding the fact that he
| had twice been elected to the Senate.
! Republican leaders are saying today
| that they have Il number OF able
| potential candidates for the Senate
and they expect to win the election
| in November, 1926.
g. o. p. Victory Predicted.
| DR.. L. b. Clements, Republican ma
| tional committeeman from Missouri,
today predicted that the Republicans
| would elect q Senator in the State
| next year. He is leaving here late
| today to go to st. Louis with the flu
| neral party. He will confer with Gov.
| Baker in regard to the appointment of
a successor to Senator Spencer, to
serve until the election in 1926 has
/ been held.
| Already a long list of possible ap-
| pointees to the senatorship has been
compiled, including Gen. John J. Per
! shing, Dwight f. Davis of st. Louis,
| Assistant Secretary of War; Repre-
| sentatives Cleveland Newton and
| Charles Faust, former Gov. Arthur Nj.
| Hyde. former attorney general of the
States, John Barrett Of st. Louis, Wal
ter $. Dickey OF Kansas City, pub
Usher Of the Kansas City Journal Post,
and r. r. Brewster of Kansas City,
! who was defeated by Senator Reed
| Democrat. in 1922.
| Whether Gen. Pershing would ac
| cept appointment is doubtful He has
! so far kept away from political dp-
| pointment or contest. declining to be
| considered as a candidate for nomna-
| ton for President.
Assistant Secretary of War Davis
today is in the West, where he will
deliver several addresses before re
turning to Washington. Mr.. Davis has
been urged by his friends for appoint
ment as Secretary of War in the
event of the retirement of Secretary
| Weeks. who has been seriously i'll for
some time. In well informed quarters
il was said today that Mr.. Davis
would welcome such appointment. that
he had made a careful study of the
problems of the Army and was well
fitted for the post.
Weeks May Not Resign.
On the other hand, It was pointed
out that no vacancy exists in the
cabinet and that Secretary Weeks
may decide to retain the War Depart
ment folio, where he has made an eX-
cellent record. Further, that the
friends of Charles B. Hilles of New
York are pressing for his appoint
ment to the cabinet in case there be
a vacancy. There had been talk, too,
of Mr.. Davis entering the primaries
next Summer against Senator Spencer
for the nomination.
| The appointment of q successor TO
Senator Spencer by Gov. Baker. Re
publican, is not expected until after
the funeral of the Senator, which will
take place in st. Louis Wednesday.
Gov. Baker. it was said here today, is
not likely to be a candidate himself
for the Office of Senator in 1926. In
making the appointment of q sue
cessor to Senator Spencer. the gov
ernor will either pick an outstanding
citizen of the State to honor with the
SenatorShip during the next year, with
the understanding that he Will stand
aside and support the nominee of the
Republican primary next August, or
he will name a Republican who is con
sidered a likely and strong candi.
date for the nomination and for cleo
ton If he be nominated.
Expected to Name Strong Man.
The appointment probably would
strengthen the chances of any one of
those who are seeking nomination
next year. The talk about Republican
headquarters here is that the governor
will name a strong man, who can i'm
mediately begin a campaign looking
to election in November, 1926, behind
whom the Republicans of the State
can rally.
| While the State of Missouri has
gone Republican four out of the last
six elections, voting for Roosevelt in
1904. Taft in 1908, Harding in 1920 and
Coolidge in 1924, the Republicans have
not been so successful in clecting Sen.
ators in that State. In fact, very few
Republican Senators have come from
Missouri since the days of reconstruc
ton. Senator Spencer has been one
of the few.
Spencer Committee Chairman.
| Senator Spencer at the time of his
death was chairman of the Senate
| Oii PRIV anu cIttlIOiIS
| He will be succeeded in that office, il
| is expected, by Senator Ernst of Ken
lucky. Senator Watson of Indiana
ranks next to Senator Spencer on that
committee. but he is chairman of the
committee on interstate commerce
and he probably will retain that office
Senator Ernst is next in line for the
Craftsmanship of the privileges and
elections committee.
Il During his service in the Senate
Senator Spencer was called upon by
the Republicans to handle several
politically delicate matters, including
the defense of Senator Newberry of
Michigan, who was charged with VIC
lating the corrupt practices act in his
campaign for election, and the naval
oil reserve leases to Doheny and Sin.
clair by former Secretary FAN.
Three Contests Pending.
There are at present pending before
the Senate committee on privileges
and elections three election contests
the Steck- Brookhart contest from
Iowa, the contest of former Senator
johnson against Senator Schall of
Minnesota, and the contest of former
Senator Bursum against Senator
Bratton of New Mexico. Plans for
counting the Iowa ballots have been
made and the work will be begun
within a short time.
| GROUPS BACK PERSHING.