The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-05-25
He Talks as If a denomination
Were Distasteful.
He Will Accept. as "a Matter
of Duty"
The County Conventions Nearly
All for Lewelling.

A day or two ago Gov. Lewelling re-
ceived letter from Judge G. w. Nc
Kay of Attica, Harper county, asking
him if he would support Elder j. d. Bot
kin of Wichita, if be received the nomi-
nation for governor. He replied that he
would, and continued in reference to his
own probable nomination:
E'As the time approaches and the
labor5, vicissitudes and bitterness of the
campaign have been more fully realized,
l have so much dreaded the ordeal as to
pray that this cup might pass from me
Gf you will excuse the sacriIege).
"N g are already in the thrOes of revO-
luton, and even if our party should
carry the election, the responsibilities of
another term in this Office are so grave
and fraught with so much of danger
from even slight mistakes, that shrink
from assuming them. To sum the mat
ter up therefore, l think you will be-
lieve l speak the truth in saying l would
prefer TO retire to private life; and al
though there are perhaps few who would
believe or understand such a statement,
coming from one who is supposed to be
candidate If l am to accept the NOM
ination, it will be purely and only from
a sense of duty to the party"
.-Lewelling's letter is not regarded
at the state house as indicating IN any
way that he is not a candidate, and every
one declares that he will be nominated
by acclamation.
The governor will be nominated by
acciamation if the returns from the Pop
ulist county conventions held yesterday
are any indication of what the state con-
ventiOn will do.
The Populist state central committee
has already received returns from twen-
ty-two counties, which include all the
the cities OF the first-class and the homes
of the officials of the present administra-
tiOn, where there was likely to be oppo-
sition to the denomination of the present
crowd.
There are to be 612 delegates in the
convention and the % counties heard
from elected 1872 delegates, and of that
number 155 are said to be for the admin
istration and the denomination of Lew
elling and the other seven it is claimed
will vote right when the time comes.
An analysis Of the returns, however,
shows that the administration did not
get all the delegates, although it has a
large majority of them.
The Atchison county delegates are un-
instructed, but are claimed by the ad-
ministration- Barton gave the admins
tration six delegates; Bourbon county,
with her metropolitan police board,
elected nine delegates for the machine.
Cherokee county, the home of Van b.
Prather, endorsed the state house crowd
by electing nine delegates
Doniphan county, Fred Closes home
endorsed the machine and elected four
delegates. Ford county, where the sol
diers' home is located, instructed its
three delegates for the administration.
jefferson county, Willis home, in
structed for the administration as did
Jewell with eight delegates; K1ngman
with six; Pratt with five; Reno with
ten; Rice with seven; Smith with seven;
Stafford with five; Coffey with seven;
Chase with four and Cloud with eight
Sedgwick elected fourteen delegates
not instructed but are claimed for Lew
elling. Douglas county elected six del
egates uninstructed who are claimed by
the administration.
Smith county endorsed the administers
tion and elected eight delegates. John
son county elected seven delegates; six
of them are for the administration anC
one is for one term Office holders. The
chairman of the johnson county delega
uOp Is T. Is. Gill, an eX-cOnfederate sol
dier with one leg, and the other six del
egates are ex-uniOn soldiers.
Smith county instructed for ]. w
Amos for secretary of state. Leaven
worth county did not elect its delegates
there was trouble in the convention anC
an adjournment over until Monday wa
taken.
Wyandotte county is reported to hav,
elected eleven delegates against the ad
ministration, although s. S. King in
formed the governor that the delepate
were favorable to his denomination.
The conventions as a rule refraineC
from saying anything about suffrage, al
though a suffrage plank was endorsed
by Cloud and Chase. repudiated by Sum
ner and referred to the state convention
by Washington county.
In addition to the counties reported tC
the state central committee, Brown coun
ty has been heard from, and the sever
delegates elected are instructed for Lew
elling and the administration.
Linn county went the other way, and
motion to instruct her seven delegates
for Lewelling was defeated by a vote o
2 to 1.
Butler county elected nine delegates
who are not instructed, but they ar
friendly to the administration and are fo
the renominatiOn of State Treasurer Bid
die, whose home is in that county
A santa Fe Conductor shot.
LA JUNTA. Col, May 25-Josepl