Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-10-04
Some Reasons Why we Support
S. D. Decker.

i
Convention and ascertain the facts In |
regard to the respective claims Of l..
K. Pratt and S. D. Decker to be re-
garded as the regular candidate for
District Judge on the Republican
ticket. From entirely reliable men
who are thoroughly conversant with /
the whole history we gather the fol
lowing facts:
| When the Atwood convention con
vened it was found that there were
two contesting delegations-one from
Norton county where L. K. Pratt
resides) and one from Cheyenne coun-
ty. We have not the space to mention
in detail all the complaints made of
foul play in Norton county committed
by the Pratt men. It was shown that in
the Cheyenne county convention, call
ed to select delegates to the Atwood
convention that there were 50 dele
gates present.
The convention decided to vote by
ballot. The chairmen of the town
ship delegations received the tickets
from each delegation and went for
ward and deposited them in the ballot
box on the rOstrum. When counted
out the Pratt delegates had a major
ity. The Pratt men had credentials
all written out and exhibited great
haste to have them signed instantly
which the Chairman and Secretary
did sign, though at the time express
ing the belief that some trick had
been played as they were satisfied
the convention was anti-Pratt After
adjournment an investigation was
started and it was found that % men
were willing to swear and did sub
, sequently make affidavit that they
. were opposed to Pratt and had voted
the Decker ticket. It seems that
three chairmen of township delega-
t Ons on their way from their seats to
the ballot box changed tickets and put
y in Pratt tickets when the delegates in
tended to vote Decker ticket Since
it was concIusiveIy shown that there
p was fraud, the Decker men elected
and sent to Atwood a contesting dele
cation.
When the Judicial District Conven-
ton assembled the question arose
@ what shall be done with the delegates
! from the contesting counties till it is
decided which delegation is entitled
s to be seated. The Decker men, and
s w. II. Pratt delegates, said I'VE will
= follow the precedent established by
# the Republican National Convention
in the Malone contest case by sub
+ hitting the matter for decision to the
e District Central Committee" This
i the L. K. Pratt men objected to; then
the Decker and w. H. Pratt delegates
S says 'Iet the delegates from the con
testing counties stand aside till the
= balance of the uncontested delegates
# investigate the case and decide it,
s. The L. K. Pratt men objected to tina
St but insisted that NJ A Wilson, Chair
" man of the District Committee anC
p an avowed Pratt man, should alone
IS decide it, though all the members o.
n. tbs District Committee were presen
d and might have been called together
" Not only that but the respective mem
.e bers of the said District Committe,
e. requested Mr., Wilson, verbally, ais,
b. in writing signed by a majority, t,
Sc call a meeting to consider the contes
is cases which he persistently refused
# to do.
lie Determined to carry out the unfai
D. and wholly unprecedented rule of al
:. lowing Wilson to decide the cOntes
, cases, the L. X. Pratt men held
$ caucus, formulated their plans, ixeC
:" {up their order Of business, made on
D. NJ. A. Wilson's decision in which al
te the cOntesting Pratt delegates wert
admitted, and the anti-Pratt me1
10 were ruled out, and then in a dOmi
es neering and rOugh-shOd manner, tolC
10 the other delegates they must sub
,O NIT or they would put L. K Pratt
up as q candidate no matter wha
. the opposing delegates thought abou
+ the prOpriety Of their. doing so. TIL
I'd other delegates could not submit t.
If such outrageous demands withou
Ct sacrificing their manhood, and prov
ing false to their constituency. The,
" organized the convention in the reg
b ular way, voted for a candidate in tn
usual manner, nominated for Distric
a. Judge S. D. Decker, and adjourned
!. The above is a brief history of tn
II affair, as stated to US by as honorabl
n and fair minded men as Phillip
county contains men who were a