New-York tribune., 1874-07-31
A EiNS1y C1kVISS.

vs. ~
A KANSAS CANVASS.
We do not know that we feel an interest
which may be called thrilling in the political
parturbatioDs of the Nd Congressional Dis
trict of Kansas; but they will serve well
enough to illustrate that passion for running
for Congress which seems sometimes to pos
sess all the adults of community. II is true
that only one man can be elected; bat oc'a-
sional!y each e-boded citizen appears to
think that he is the man. From his private
point Of view, all other aspirants are frauds IL
not fools. TO deny him the nomination OF MS
party would be Il personal injury. To refuse
him an election would be a crying insult Up
in the IId Kansas District there is whole
regiment of such aSpirants There are two
parties-the Republican and the independent
and each party has already fifteen candidates
awaiting the decision of their respective Con
ventious Messrs McCOmas, Riggs York, BOYD,
De Long, Goodwin, Clark, Stevens, Smith,
Mason, "and others" are independents. vi
these not hing important is told us except that
Y"rl. is the man who betrayed and defeated
"tat old fraud and corruphonist, ). &. Pom
"eroyn His friends say that Gin Kidding the
estate of that incubus he performed service
"for which .he people of Kansas should never
"cease to give thanks This being 80, as we
cannot hurrlh for the whole fifteen compet-
itors, we hereby hurrlh in mid ana NIT
Gated wlv, as becomes an outsider, for York!
The regular, orthodox Republican asprants
would appear to form miscellaneous ana IN
terestng crowd. There is Cobb, OF whom
we are told that ne Hitters the Postmaster
land promises positions without number
AS general rule, we object to iattcring
PostmasteYs. They appointed to attend
70 the mail service, and not to make Mem
bars of Congress and our opinion - that
they had better stick to their legitimate
business. There is Mr.. Taylor who wants
also to go to Washington, aud who char
acferlZos Cobb as can EgotiSt, an ignO-
"ramus, and an ASS" This leads us to fear
that in Kansas politics the small, sweet c0ur-
tesics of life are somewhat neglected. This
Mr. Taylor is the Temperance candidate; bat
his language seems to be very incorporate
indeed, and he shells the corn of character
from Cobb in a really rough and remorSe-
less way. Next comes Mr.. SlmOnS,
who is distinguished for having formerly
been zone of thirty-ive candidates for
the United States Senate" so that he
il quite accustomed to gregarous can
didacy. Simons is "a good soul" says the
opposition newspaper kindly. Reynolds, who
il next in the race, is remarkable for having
been member of every political party winch
has ever existed in Kals9s, 50 that, II elected,
lac would bring great experience to the place.
But mostly our sympathies are stirred for
Gen. |. |. Wood, who is briefly characterized
as ga Victim Of Obscurlty." This is strange
for We are told in the same sentence that
Z" the General was a cla5smate of President
Grant, "Ihis will not help him much,"
SAYS one writer il-naturedly. Perhaps not
but why hurt his feelings and the Presidents
feelings and the feelings of all the Poscmas-
ters by saying so bluntlyl If his youthful
associations were dubious, Gen. Wood cannot
help it now. Besides it Injuries him as Vic
tim of Obscurity thus to assign to him such
an illustrious juvenilty. If his friends or enc
mics persist in making him famous in that
way, nobody will pity him; and unless he is
elected out of pity and as Victim, 1T does
not appear that he will be elected at all.
But it is needless for us to dwell any longer
upon the curiosites' of candidacy in the Kan
sas Second. There is an awful row and "a
tremendous bobbery" there now, but it will
subside in time. No teapot is always tenn
pestuous. As we think over the probable
phases of this tumultuous battle, we are almost
ready to exclaim, Happy the Congressional
District in which nobody wants to go to Con-
gress! A sweet serenity pervades it, broken
only by the pursuit of some wretched man
who is running, as if for dear life, from the
misfortune of an election. Though he calls
upon all the gods to witness that he would vastly
rather stay at home though he offers to COM
promise by consenting to serve as hog reeve;
though he pitifully points to his wife and
children, and eagerly asks what they have
done to be so disgraced; though he threatens
to go to Guinea instead of Washington !;
though he darkly inslnuates that he will bring
everlasting disgrace upon his consttuents-in
spite of prayers and protestations he is caught
and consigned to the Capitol. Have we de-
scribed district which exists nowhere this
side of Utopiai Perhaps 80, and if 80, more's
the pity!