Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-23
POLITICS IN KANSAS
The Three Parties Preparing for an
Active Campaign
Prospects of the PopuIist, Republican
fionists and SuGrasists Influence.
special corresponaenee Of The Evening Star.

1OTE-hA RAN, July II, 1914
The executive committees OF the repub-
lcan. democratic AMI peoples parties are
now busily engaged in making preliminary
arrangements for the campaign, which Is
to be inaugurated by each Of the three par
ties August i. and wagei with vigor until
election day. All have determined upon an
aggressive canvass and Will work to win.
Never before in the history of the state
has the result of an election been clouded
in SO much uncertainty, and never before
have partisan5 shown SO little inclination
to be guided by party lines in selecting the
candidates for whom they will cast their
ballots. The independent voter Is in the
saddle and will determine the party win
ner in the contest. New issues are coming
up that are causing new allgnments and
men OF prominence are daily being recorded
as transferring their allegiance from one
party organization to another.
The plans Of the several committees for
the campaign are being made on similar
lines and each Will call into action every
resource in it's power. The populists have
the state officers and all OF the state en-
ployes TO depend upon for foundation for
their campaign funds, the democrats nave
the federal officials and the republicans
must depend upon private sources for their
sinews OF war.
No large contributions are being made to
s
but every mail brings small sums from en-
thusiastic members of the party, from en-
ployes Of the state institutions, county
officers and local candidates. Contributions
have been coming from various sources
since last January, when the work of or
ganizsnS for the campaign began. A small
corps of clerks has been constantly engaged
IN sending out popuiist literature and in
Keeping up the correspondence between the
chairman and local committees Most of
the expense, SO far has been for postage.
express and subscriptions. In the future
the greatest expense will be in keeping
speakers in the field. The popuist organiza-
ton is In complete working order and 10
further labO- is necessary to set. II in mo-
ton. In this il has an advantage over the
republicans, whose organization was per-
mitted to go to pieces for lack of an admin
istrative head after the campaign of two
years ago The same is true OF the demo-
cratic organizdtion In fustnS with the
populists In 1892 the democratic organiza-
tion in many of the counties completely
lost its identity. being practically absorbed
by the populists In nominating an indie
pendent ticket this year the main object
was TO collect the scattered forces of the
party and make showing of its strength
rather than with any hope of winning the
election. To make even respectable show
ing VIII be no easy task, for the err Of the
campaign or two years ago. An thing to
beat the republicans" stln rings in the ears
ct the Kansas democracy. and it will not be
easy 10: the average democrat knowing
that there IS no prospect of its being sue
cessful when he feels that his vote would
De more elfectual in defeating the old enc
my oy being counted for the populists.
Democrats and PopuIisfs.
A large proportion of the democrats open
ly declared their intention of supporting
the populist ticket. giving as a reason that
as their own party cannot win they prefer
populist to republican success. This con-
uiton may be changed as the democratic
campaign progresses and appeals are made
to party loyalty. The democrats are pre
p'rihg Tor vigorous campaign. and they
have nominated candidates and elected a
state central committee that is canable
OF doing effective work, even under the
adverse conditions with which they must
contend Their ticket is an unusually
strong one. and is headed by the two best
campaigners in the party-David Ovemyer
candidate for governor, and Joseph c.
Lowe, candidate for Large
loves nomination is frequently referred
to as rebuke to Congressman Harris.
who, after his election by democratic votes
went over into Virginia and stumped the
state against the democratic ticket Lowe
was stalwart in ISy2, and voted the re-
publican state ticket.
The democratic strength is an unknown
quantity, and the vote that the ticket
Will poll is yarlously estimated from 10000
TO G,WD. The last time they ran an indie
pendent ticket was in 1S.D when the aver
age vote for the ticket was nearly 6DpU
How many of them have gone over to the
populists permanently Nc man can saw
and how many recruits the party will gain
because of its opposition TO woman suffrage
and prohibition is purely speculative. Should
the vote be less than 2O,WiU the result will
be exceedingly close, and may give the
state to the populists. on the democrats
then the outcome of the campaign will
largely depend although it is conceded that
that party has no show of carrying the
state.
Nhile the democratic vote will draw from
the popul;sts, the prohibition -,ote Will
make iaroads on the strength CT the
pubiicans. FOR the first time since the
adoption OF the prohibition mendment to
the constitution the republicans have this
year neglected to incorporate u prohibition
plank in their platform. Many mutter!ngs
of dissatisfaction have been heard from
neutrality-suspicious. because of this. and
some influential men have declared that
they will vote the prohibition ticket be-
cause the republicans have, by ,.eglecting
TO indorse prohibition pandered to the
whisky element. How extensive the revolt
will be on this account will not be known
until the prohibition vote has been count
ed. Ex-Governor st. John has announced
that he Will put In sixty days in Kansas
for the straight prohibition ticket He is
an able stumper and a very dangerous man
in Kansas for the republicans. In 1892 the
prohibitioEists polled 5000 votes, enough to
have elected several republican state Of
ficers had they been cast for the republican
would prove fatal to the republican party,
for all of its recruits. or nearly ILL., must
come from that source.
The Woman Vote.
The popuiists are anticipating q great
deal Of help from the women. because of
the adoption of q woman suffrage plank by
the state convention. At the opening meet
ings of the campaign, which will be held in
each county seat town in the state August
1, the state central committee has under
taken to provide a man and woman ST ealk-
err The country women are expected to
conduct political picnics through the months
Of July. August and September, to which
ali of the men will be invited to listen to
their arguments and eat spring chicken
and other delicacies of the Kansas farm.
In this way, 1t is believed by he cam
paign managers, many votes will be won
to the populiSt cause.
The character of campaign to be waged
for the state ticket win undoubtedly make