The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-01-29
a-.tas. Ia.tnr

AC 4OAiO9 LIZ AaA@~8~-O-1
dressed TO the Topeka Capital. from
James F. Legste. regarding the st. John
business. vas given to the papers Sasur-
day night:
To the Editor OF the Capital:
have read the interviews of j. s.
Clarkson Of Des Moines and r. G. Ker-
ems of st. Louis, and say they are g
com binatIon OF WIlful miscellaneous of
facts and strained and criminal conclu-
sions. These interviews leave me no
alternative but to tell the whole trans
action, so far as ! am concerned, and
leave people TO judge whether / was q
"huckster'' OF ST. Johns or whether Mr..
Clarkson and Ksrens are or are not gull
tY of u criminal violation OF q most
sacred pledge of honor. and (2) 9 crlm-
inal neglect OF duty, which. had it been
performed, Mr.. Blame would have been
elected president of the United States
convention, bnt was
MUCH OPPOSED TO ST. JOHN
becoming the candidate of the couven-
tIen. wrote Gov. st. John letter to
Cuba, n. Y, where he was then lectur-
ing, or that was one of his appointments,
and gave him my views upon his can
didacy and my reasons for not wanting
him TO become 8 candidate. In short, !
said to him that he was the only man
spoken Of for that place who could en-
danger the success of the Republican
party; that prohibition was on trial in
Kansas, and it was his duty TO come 10
Kansas aud make the fight in Its behalf;
that if he became q candidate tor presi-
dent of q Prohibition party of the nation
and prohibition should be killed in his
n y. 49,
of large ship without q drop Of water
upon which 10 float it; that, at least, he
would be laughed at as a candidate, and
the principle of prohibition would be
ridIcuied, and the cause of temperance
would be set back quarter of a century.
l asked him to wire me his conclusions.
As soon as he received that letter he
wired me these words: 81 do not wish
for, nor will accept, that nomination,
or any other. My motives tor my course
would be too apt to be mIscOnstrued."
The convention came off and he was
nominated. l waited q short time and
wrote him again, urging him with all
the force could MT to accept TIE nomi-
nation, repeating my reasons for his not
accepting that gave as my reasons why
he should not be nominated, and added
thereto that if the Prohibition party
should form in Kansas 1t would defeat
the Republican candidate for governor
of this state, Ia the dong of which he
would destroy prohibition in his own
state where 1t had 50 prOspered under
his especial care. | also wrote John b.
Finch, and stated TO him the case as
strongly as my ability would allow me.
received reply from Governor ST
John quite promptly, in which he said.
after replying t. mine: - shall accept
the nomination, coming as it does from
one of the largest conventions that ever
mEled in the United States, and
that, TOO, by a unanimous vote, and /
shall do my duty as Ged gives me H. +.
to see What duty ID, leaving the coase-
quences TO him" Soon there after I re- =
ceived a short letter from Mr.. Finch, In
which he said 10 substance that the Pro-
hibitiou party had taken This new de-
parture, believing 1t the onlV course 10
pursue TO save, strengthen and finally to
crown prohibition with success in the
United States. That st. John had been
nominated to stay and accomplish that
purpose. did not stop even by these
discouragements, but began cuIrespon-
dence with ST. Johns most intimate
friends IN this state To invoke their aid.
| A convention OF the Prohibition party
was called TO meet at Lawrence for the
purpose Of putting in nomination full
state ticket. l attended that convention
and did ali could do to prevent the
nomination of state ticket beyond the
presidential electors. offended good
many of St. Jonn's friends by the course
pursued, but after the b. at of the con-
| ventiOn was over, l hal conference
with them and told them my purpose,
which was to get Governor st. John
| back to this state and make canvass
| for Governor Martin, Prohibition and st
john,
TOLD THEM OF THE DANGER
| to the Republican party in Indiana,
Ohio, Michigan and New York by hav-
| ing st. John make a personal canvass In
those states, that u lose any two of the
| western states wnul defeat Mr.. Blaine,
or To lose New York would def at him.
and that danger was imminent if Cover
nor st. John made personal canvass
there. That ths governor had been de-
feaIed in his race for governor ia this
state by The vote OF whisky money and
the votes of whisky men in the R-publl-
| can party when the rest OF the
ticket was elected by over forty thou
sand majority, and, al last, when
| thought lie wanted Ia z to the Chicago
| Republican Convention. his beet friends
did not dare nominate him knowing full
| we'll he would be defeated. and be would
| be prom pt~d a. much by this citing as by
his convictions 10 throw his whole soul
into the canvass This. added to the per.
sonal of a candidate, would make him
| very dangerous tu the Republican party
in the states l have mentioned. That
his excuse for coming to Kansas, and
making this the battle ground. would be
| good that pTOhIbltlon WAS on trial in
| his own state, and he ought to look after
its ipteres Is here first.
/ so far convinced then that l was
right that we agreed to meet again and
discuss the subject further and devise
| some way TO accomplish the otjsct. A
| few days after we met again at the City
OF Leavenworth aad entered into an elab-
crate discussion upon the whole subject
| FIRST, tC make canYass of the state
| would cost much money, aud We are all
| poor and could not make the necessary
| expenditures. How and where could We
| get the necessary funds was the question.
l said ! had no doubt the National Re-
| publican committee would furnish the
| funds ii the sum was too great, and at
| ter q careful consideration of the work
| to be done in 1875 representative districts
and forty senatorial districts, the work
10 be done In much less than month.
| that it would cost qnIte sum OF money.
| l promised TO write TO u freud living In
| Ohio, telling what l thought could be
done, provided The money could be rails
ed I did write. We adjourned, but
| with agreement that three of US should
| meet Governor ST. John at Olathe on his
/ return from the east, some time about
| the middle of September. l wrote TO
my friend in Ohio and suggested $685.
! 900, but failed to get any reply until af-
/ ter st. Johns return and our meeting
| there. Three of US mer there, witnessed
| his reception and listened to his speech
at night. In that speech at night he
| said without quoting his laDguage) that
he had been offered money enough to
keep himself and family during their
lives 20 get off the track. YES" ne said
Il could get a quarter of million dol
lars, but am there TO stay" This was
somewhat discouragIng and yet encour-
aging. DIscOura9iDg TO think he was
doing so much damage, and still encour
| ing If We could get him away from The
east and have him remain Ia Kansas
| We had a long conference with Govern
or st. John and presented 10 him our
| side of the question aud the ne.
cessity for his being Ia Kan.
sas; that Kansas was the
citidat of prohibItsop, and was being
hardess assaulted now. We discussed the
Republican platform and his objections
to it. Finally he said: III Governor
Martin will write q letter committing
himself squsrely TO prohibition as /
principle, ] will see 70 It that there shall
be no nomination by the ProhiDitionistI
tor governor, ana will iii the appoint
ments made by the national COMMITTEES
for me, and will return to Kansas by ths
21st of October, and we Will make . des
perate fight in each representative dis
trict in the state for Martin, PTohIbitIoT
and the st. John electoral ticket" h
wrote the substance of 3 letter he wisheC
Mr.. MartIn % write and send him. w,
left him after = full understanding o
our course, but with the distinct expires
sion on his part that be must fulfill th'
engagements made for him by the Pro
hibiTion committee, which would in
clude Indlapa, Ohio. Michigan, Balti
Il u a. II ~ -.