Show The Speakenhlp Contest WASHINGTON Dec 2There seems to ba practically little change in the speakership situation this afternoon All five candidates continue to express cheerful confidence There are no signs of any withdrawals prior to the first ballot and there Is nothing as yet to demonstrate the ability of anyone of the candidates candi-dates to transfer his strength to another in the event of his withdrawing Crisp and Mills friends continue very sanguine of winning and are working for an early termination of the contest con-test They still say they expect to see a breali among the supporters of Springer McMillin and Hatch after the first or second ballot At Crisps headquarters it Is said two or three votes have been transferred to him from the doubtful column Mills is hopeful of a considerable con-siderable accession of strength to come between now and Saturday There seemed to be a general disposition this afternoon to admit Crisp at present Is doing exceedingly ex-ceedingly well but his opponents insisted ho had reached his limit of strength and would be unable to obtain a majority of the total vote McMillin and Springer say they will keep In the fight to the end believing the contest between be-tween Mills and Crisp will have no result except ex-cept to necessitate the chice of another candidate candi-date in which event each of these gentlemen hopes to be the choice of the caucus Hatch thounh not vet so active in the canvass ex presses a similar opinion and hone During the afternoon estimates were made of the strength of the several candidates Crisps friends counted between ninetythreo and ninetysix names for him on the first ballot bal-lot A conservative supporter of Mills said he had nearly seventyfive votes This he thought would be increased by Saturday Tho chief work today was directed against Springers forces and reports were current of a break in favor of Mills Springer however said he was holding his own The Illinois candidate has shown more strength than any one was willing to concede him at first and one of his lieutenants lieuten-ants said Springer had at least forty votes to be cast in hid favor on the first ballot |