The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-03-17
QUININE VS.. CANDY.
The Drugwumps at Last Find a
Leader in Ben Aldrich.
As Predicted by the Eagle Jo Henkel
the Labor Leader, Wasn't in It.

As Predicted by the Eagle Jo Hsnkel
I the Labor Leader, Wasn't in It.
The DruRwump party, alias the Dem.
Pop Citizen party met again yesterday in
| convention.
There seems to be bond of friendship
existing between Kansas Democrats and a
drug store that cannot be broken. Ten
days ago they nominated j. P. Allen, a
druggist. for mayor, aud upon his refusal
to remain on the ticket they met again
yesterday and nominated Ben Aldrich
another druggist. Some mystic influence
draws them to the drug trade, but as tc
what it is the student of human nature
and human habits. as exemplif1ed in the
history OF Democracy, and especially Kan
sas Democracy, must determine.
At an early hour the clans began to
gather on North Market street near
Schnitzlers and began to make medicine.
Each one OF them had an EAGLE, with
Capt. Carey's card of withdraw well
Jhumbed and as each new conner would
come up they would discuss the bearing it
! d
thing they did not like it and reasoned
that il Mayor Carey remained on the
ticket the better class of Democrats would
vote for him, but that with him not In
the race the majority Of them would go to
the Republican ticket and thus swell the
majority for Cox.
1t was first the unanimous desire of the
| politicians of the convention to get "A Re
publican to run, but they could find none
| willing TO accept the place and, as a
| matter of course they had to settle On a
Democrat, Various Democrat. were ask
! ed 10 become candidates but all of them
| refused and at the last moment Ben
Aldrlch was prevailed upon to run. Joe
Henkle's following grew very small when
1t was found that Democrat was willing
| to run, but it would be much smaller
were it not for the fact that the conven-
ton did not dare to set down
too hard on the labor organizations
| after having courted them SO assiduously
during the three or four previous days
when the leaders thought they could not
get anybody else whom they could offer as
a sacrifice.
The convention was called to order at II
O'Clock. with A. e. Helm at the helm
That was one hour later than the time set.
but there was some important delay, the
nature of which the common mem ers of
the convention were not apprised. This
delay was limited at by one of the leaders,
and following up the clue an EAGLE re-
porter found that it was caused
over discussion of the reso-
lutlons passed ut the former
convention endorsing Mayor Carey's
administration. 1t seems there were a few
determined on Offering motion to recon-
slider the resolutions for the reason that
Mayor Carey was, to some extent, the
cause of j. P. Aliens withdrawal from
the original citizens ticket. The wiser
heads saw that the determination of these
fellows meant political suicide, for Mayor
Carey has good deal Of influence and if
they offend to insult him he would bury
Their ticket beneath a mass of two or
three thousand votes on election day. 1t
took an hour to get a pledge from the
enemies OF Mr.. Carey not TO offer the reso-
lutions and when the gavel sounded all
seemed to be happy. although
Hank Hiserman was missing from the
secretary's chair aud did not fill it yester-
day, much to the discomfort of the cti-
zens, for with him absent there was not
single Republican present Sotwithstand-
ing their bluffs about disaffection in the
Republican ranks.
When order was restored by a liberal
use Of the gavel in the hands of Mr.. Helm
and he made his address to the conven-
ton. Sam Amidon moved that the conven-
ton proceed to nominate and ballot for
mayor. This brought !. p. Campbell to
his feet who moved that the chair appoint
committee of two from each ward to
select mayor. Before this motion could
be seconded John Farrell had the floor
very firmly and he protested in the
name of all that is true aud pure in
politics against the motion, saying that it
was undemocratic. Scarcely had John
completed his peroration on the buck and
gag features of the motion when Citizen
Peters was splitting the air with his hands
and denouncing the motion. To settle
the matter he moved that the whole mat
ter be laid on the table, and over this a
heated controversy arose Great big men |
became flushed over the situation aud |
grea, was the number or arguments
brought to bear on it. When
one man was making an eloquent |
argument on the subject Harry Stewart
gently winked at tbs reporters and |
in that quiet, suave way of his called the |
speaker TO order, saying that neither of |
the motions had been seconded. This was |
a dampner on the speaker, VINO had to |
yield the floor in the middle of very i'm |
pressive speech upon which his reputation |
as an orator depended. Col. Nicholas |
Bird seconded CampbelPs motion and |
then proceeded to attack it in the most |
bitter terms. The colonel is quite AN or
ator aud he carried his point. Judge |
Babb also opposed the motion and in doing I
SO coined two words for the occasion |
He denounced it as ''uncitizenistic'' and |
"unpopulistic." CRmpbells motion was /
defeated and nominations were declared |
in order.
At this juncture Jesse n. Haymaker
the rostrum and in eloquent
W ords put Ben Aldrich in nomination. He |
carried the audience back to, and before
the grasshopper days aud lauded his virtue
as a Democrat to such an extent that Ben
was seen blushing like 16-year-ol miss
in his seat among the Fourth warders.
When he had closed Sam Amidon
arose slowly from his seat. Strengthened
himself to his full height and in measured
words proceeded to upset Haymaker's
speech for unfortunately for Sam he had a
candidate who was not here before the
days aud be had to make his
speech in accordance with the facts. Sam
spoke about the oppression OF labor. the
interests of labor and all that sort OF thing
and wound up with an eloquent tribute TO |
,he man he was pleased to nominate-Jo