The Rich Hill Tribune

ABOUT CANDIDATES
FOR U. S. SENATOR.

Hadley, Dickey and Warner Were
the Only Names Discussed,

Special Correspondence,
Jefferson City, May 4.—At the
gathering of prominent Republicans here April 23 there was
more talk about probable Republican candidates for United States
Senator than anything else.
Friends of Senator Warner were
here to say that he wants to be
nominated for reelection. Though
he has not made formal announcement it is generally understood
that he wishes another
term and that he desires the approval of his party; but he, like
all other party leaders of the
first class, looks more to the
success of the party in the state
than to his personal ambitions.
Hon. Walter S. Dickey, chairman
of the State Committee, has been
urged by many active party
workers and leaders to permit
them to open a campaign for his
nomination, but he too feels that
the interests of the party are
paramount and that the candidate or candidates for Senator
should be put forward to insure
the election of a Republican majority in the legislature rather
than to be rewarded for party service
or honored personally. He has
had the matter under consideration but has not authorized anybody to say that he will or will
not ask for the nomination. He
would, of course, be glad to have
the nomination of his party and
election at the hands of a Republican majority in the legislature
and would be very active should
he enter the contest but he said
here on his arrival, Monday Apr.
25, that the affairs of the party
should be put in good shape before any decision concerning the
senatorship is announced. The
committee meeting in St. Louis
this week is likely to clear up the
and lead to definite announcements.
Governor Hadley, who had determined several months ago not
to become a candidate for Senator this year has been so persistently urged to reconsider the
matter and permit his name to
be used that he has held in abeyance any further statement of
his position and will not talk
about it to any but his most intimate friends. Speaker Speer
sought to ascertain the sentiment
of the leaders at the conference
here and was eager to have the
Governor to consent to an active
movement in his behalf but Governor Hadley did not commit
himself, nor did he encourage
his friends.
Early in the day
newspaper reporters tried to get
an expression from him but he
made no statement whatever to
them concerning the matter. In
fact he has persistently refused
to talk about it for publication
and everything reported as coming from him has been without
his authority. When the rumor
spread that he had authorized
statement on the day of the conference he dictated the following
emphatic denial: "This report
is entirely unwarranted and unjustified so far as any statements
of mine are concerned.
In answer to an inquiry of a reporter
today I declined to make any
statement about the matter. The
only statement I have ever authorized as to my position in regard to the U. S. Senatorship is
one published in the Globe-Democrat several months ago." In
the statement he referred to the
governor said he was not a candidate for United States Senator
and did not believe that any condition would arise that would
make it advisable that he should
become a candidate.
The Governor, like Senator
Warner and Mr. Dickey, holds
that the exigencies of the situation more than the personal preferences of available candidates
should control any conclusion
that may be reached concerning
the nomination of a candidate,
though any republican who wants
to ask for it cannot be hindered
from doing so and no attempt in
that direction will be made by
party leaders.
The State Committee, at its
meeting at the Planters Hotel in
St. Louis Thursday this week
will canvass matters of party interest but will take no action in
reference to candidates for any
office. It is not within the province of the committee to do
that. Arrangements will be
made for submitting to a vote of
the people at the November
election a home rule bill and a
bill establishing senatorial districts, and perhaps congressional
districts. Other important matters will be attended to. After
that meeting the campaign will
take on new interest.
After conferring by letter with
about thirty of the leaders of
both parties in the legislature
Governor Hadley decided last
week not to call a special session
to consider a new passenger rate
law. Five railroads are now
charging a three cent rate for
Passengers.