Evening star., 1894-02-22
Populists Carefully Canvassing the
Kansas Vote.
REPUBLICANS NOT DOING ANY WORK
Probable Nominations for Cover
nor.
ANTING A NEW DEAL

Will be one or national interest, because III
will have decided bearing upon the future
of the peoples party as a national organ
ization. This fact is recognized by men of
all parties. The republicans, who a few
months ago believed they would easily re-
claim their lost ground this year, now real
ize that a hard fight is before them, and
that the populsts will make a determined
effort to retain control of the state govern
ment for the influence and effect 1t will
have upon the party throughout the coun-
| try for the presidential election in 1896.
| They feel that a defeat next November
would be a disastrous blow to the party,
from which it would be hard work to re-
cover, because Kansas is regarded as the
stronghold of the movement. Republicans
are not blind to this situation. and are pre-
pairing for a great campaign; but they have
recently discovered that to win in No
vember they must nominate clean men and
make a vigorous and systematic campaign.
The defeat the populists sustained in the
local county elections last fall has not dis
couraged them. 1t simply pointed out the
exact situation in the state, and to retrieve
their losses the party managers have al
ready commenced their campaign, and
within sixty days they will know within
few thousand just how many votes they
4
win. as Chairman Breidenthal expressed it,
they will go after them and get them"
| A Careful Poll of the State.
Today in every voting precinct in Kan
sas trusted populist has in his inside
pocket little pass book. in which he is
writing the name Of every voter in his pre-
cinct. His politics is noted also, and
whether he voted at last falls election. The
| Splarta6 IN faE Ea tic mol I'm,
structed not to be in a hurry or to take
anything for granted. but to be absolutely
certain of voters political views before
the record is made. These little pass books
were recently sent to the trusted members
of the party by the state central commit
tee. with instructions to complete the work
and return the same before the first day
of April. This will not only be a poll of
the populist voters of the state, but of
every voter, without regard to politics.
When all these returns are in, the canvass
made and the result known, the populists
will be ready for business, and If they are
short the managers will contrive some
plan by which the necessary number of
votes may be had TO give them a majority.
Along with this poll that is now being
made the views of every straight populist
will be secured with reference to fusion
with the democrats on a state and con-
eressional ticket. There are many popu-
lists who are opposed to any kind of fusion
but who will, if ii is effected, deem IL their
| duty TO support 1t. There are also those
who would bolt a fusion ticket, and either
refuse to vote at all or support the repub-
| lican nominees. Then, also the views of
the democrats will be given. Those who
are in favor of a combine with the populists
and those who are determined to vote a
straight ticket. untainted with populism
VIII be recorded in quiet way by the pre-
| cinct organizer.
Deciding on a Policy.
With all this information before the pop-
ulist state central committee as early as
April /, the leaders will be able to deter
mine just what policy they must pursue to
win. They can tell whether ii is wise to
make any kind of fusion with the DEM
ocrats. They will know about what per
cent of the democrats will vote with them
| with or without fusion. They will have &
pretty good idea about the actual strength
OF the democrats, and whether, with a
democratic ticket in the state the republi-
cans can win.
All these things they will know more
| than month before state convention is
held. The figures will speak for them
| selves, and trusted democrats who ALWAYS
| believe ii good politics to defeat republi-
cans, no matter what the combina ton, will
| be called in and invited to glance over The
| returns. and the policy and campaign that
| Will most certainly defeat a republican
| state and congressional ticket and insure
| the election of enough populists and dem
ocrats to the legislature to return a lem
ocrat TO the United States Senate will be
agreed upon.
OF course the stalwarts will enter their
| protests and Will put a straight democratic
| ticket in the field, but it will not receive at
| the outside over 2o,0o0 votes Many place
| the maximum at 10000. Then there will
| be Mrs. Lease and her little band Of mid
dle-of-the-road populists who would scorn
| TO support a ticket tainted with democracy
| but they will fall in line before the day of
/ hA Cfn tad In hEe
connection that most of the followers OF
| Mrs. Lease who are today decrying fusion
| are not permitted to emphasize their op-
| position at the ballot box-not now.
The Republicans Doing Nothing
| To Offset this systematic work by the
populists the republicans are doing nothing
but announce themselves for office The
leaders are blind to all that is going on in
| the enemy's camp. At least it appears so.
| The committee is simply waiting to be re-
! lieved by new one that will be selected
! by the next state convention. The vote of
| last November, which showed a republican
! majority of 100 over the combined op-
| position, so eated the leaders and party
managers that they dropped everything
| feeling assured that they would win easily
this year. They are beginning to realize.
| however, that the populist party is Lot
! dead, but exceedingly active and danger
| Gus.
Nearly every prominent republican in
! the state is a candidate for office. For the
| first time in the history of Kansas the re-
! publican candidate for governor this year
will be nominated by acclamation. That is
/ the way ii looks now, and eX-Congre SSman
| F.. n Morrill, will receive that honor He
practically has no opposition. His long SER
! vice in Congress and his splendid record on
| the pension committee, together with his
| financial standing in the east, all combine
| to make him the choice of a large majority
| of republicans. But for every other place
on the state ticket there are from ten to
! twenty candidates, to say nothing of the
score of congressional aspirants.
| Congressman Funston, Broderick and Cur
| tbs are all candidates for denomination, but
! the former VIII have a big fight on his
| hands. and may be defeated.
The time was when the republicans of
1t was in the days of republican ascendancy
| 900 plurality. Then Ingalls, and Plumb
were in the Senate and Perkins, Peters
/ Morrill, Ryan, Anderson, Funston and Tur-
ner in the House. These men were con-
suited in every movement made by the
! leaders in this state, but the alliance wave
| like hot wind from the south in 1889
| swept over the state and buried the party
| leaders and all. Now the wires are down
| between Washington and Kansas and a
| younger generation has come to the front
| that is insisting upon a new order of things
and that demand is beginning to bear fruit
| POpulists Want a New Deal
4 With tha napnliSfs aptira cban1a &c