The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-08-10
CAMPAIGN LIES.
How A. w. Smith Was Nominated by
the Railroads.

The Topeka Capital has set about nail
ing campaign lies. Touching the calam-
ity howl that Smith was nominated by
railway influence, tile Capital says:
The Peoples Party orators and news
papers, being unable to find anything il
the public record of A. w. Smith or in
his record as a citizen that can be used
against him in this campaign, have
sprung the time worn campaign lie that
Dir, Smith was nominated by the rail-
road companies. Within the past two
weeks the statement that Smith was the
nominee of the railroad influence has
has been published in nearly every Peo-
pies party paper in the state, and the
Linn county Peoples party convention
went so far last week as to place plank
Its platform declaring that A. w.
Smith had been nominated by the Atchi-
son, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad. Not
an iota of evidence has been given, nor
can it be given, to support this
claim. The Peoples party news
paper, nor the managers Of the Peo-
pies party campaign have not named,
nor cannot name, an attorney or official
or anyone representing railroad corpOr
alton in any capacity who was at the Re-
publican state convention for the purpose
of bringing about the nomination of Mr..
Smith. This claim which the opposition
is making is simply a plain, ordinary,
everyday campaign lie, which never
fails to put in an appearance in a politi-
cal fight in Kansas.
As matter Of fact, the nomination Of
Mr.. Smith was opposed by the railroad
influence. The railroad influence was
for other candidates for governor, and
the proceedings of the late Republican
state convention will show this to be a
fact. In the recent convention of 720
delegates there were six railroad attOr-
neys or railroad officials as delegates, as
follows: w. z. Hackney Of Winfield,
general attorney OF the Santa Fe; Z. n.
Sedgwick OF Lyon county, general solicit
tor Of the Missouri. Kansas and Texas
railway; Ii. A. Chamberlain of Chase
county, special agent of the Santa Fe;
c. j. Peckham Of Cowley county, assist
ant general attorney of the Santa Ee;
and j. w. Hamilton of Kingman, live
stock agent of the Santa Fee. Each of
these SIX delegates went into the combi-
nation on the night before the conven-
ton to beat Smith, and every one of
them voted against Smith on the first
ballot, the last ballot, and every ballot
that was taken for governor. Further
than that, every prominent railroad Of
ficlal IN the state was against Smith.
George r. Peck openly expressed him
self for Murdoch. Charley Foulks, gen.
eral claim agent for the Santa Fe, who
is one of the most active politicians in
the state, was for ''any body to beat
Smith" and was one the prime movers
in the combine against the nomination of
Smith; Colonel w. A. johnson of Gar
nett, assistant general attorney of the
Missouri Pacific, was strong
supporter. of Morrill,, and came
to the convention for the avowed pur-
pose of bea}ing Smith. John Moffit, of
Wichita, one of the Rock Islands spe-
ciai agents, A. A. Hurd, general attor-
ney of the Santa Fe railroad, and half
dozen others might be named who were
at the convention against Smith. The
Capital challenges anyone to name
railroad official who directly or iIdi-
rectly worked at the Republican con-
vention for Smith. He was not the
man the railroad companies wanted for
governor. As a matter of fact, Smith
was nominated by the Republican farm
ers in the convention. OF the 720 dele
gates in the Republican state con-
vention, nearly 800 were farmers, and
of that number 245 voted on the last
ballot for Smith for governor. He was
the farmer candidate, and not the rail-
road candidate.