People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-07-20
Purge the Party.

t0give some actual frauds perpetratet
in the Republican conventions il
Sumner county. The first convention
which / attended was in 1884 and as
was not a delegate or much acquainted
at the time, am not able TO say how
the nominations we're made, but have
a very vivid recollection that some Of
OF the would-be leaders Of the party
today were boilers and made desper.
ate efforts to defeat one Of the nOmi-
neeS, Hon. John A. Murray.
My next experience and obser-
yation was In the judicial convention
OF lSS5-when Judge Isaac G. Reed
and Judge James A. Ray were candi.
dates. The contest was confined prin-
cipally to Sumner county and was
won by Reed, whose friends spent
thirteen hundred dollars to secure his
nomination. In the Third ward OF
Wellington nine men were hired for
three days at three dollars per day to
canvass the ward, for which they re.
ceived in cash eighty-one dollars. A
number Of delegates received as much
as one hundred for supporting Reed.
At Harper Reed lacked one vote Of a
nomination and |. P. Campbell, now
resident Of Wichita, bought proxy
Of delegate by the name Of Neigh
bors, Of Attica, for one hundred dol.
lars in cash, and he voted for Reed
and nominated him. Most OF this
money was paid out by John G. and
H. L. Woods.
After Reed was nominated, w. P
Hackney so manipulated the railroad
vote in Harper county, (the Santa Ft
having large force in that county
constructing a rOad), as to have II
cast against Reed and caused his de-
feat. Hackney was then Santa Fe
Republican.
In the convention OF 1887 when A
B. Chedyer and Sam Kincaid wer,
candidates for district clerk, botf
gentleman had canvassed the county
and were about Of equal strength il
the convention, when Caldwell cast
her vote for John w. Nyce, who was
not lon the surface) a candidate, anC
after several ballots he was nOmi
mated. He never worked a day IL
the Office, but imported man to rur
it and seemed Indifferent about til,
condition Of things, until an investi,
CATION found him behind with the
county.
Later Judge John G. Woods was ;
candidate for state senator without
opposition. But when the conven
tiOn met Caldwell sprung Col. j. W
FOrney on the convention and h,
was nominated.
Still later Hon. ]. T. Showalter anC
Hon. j. W. FOrney and Hon. c. c
Curtis made a pretty thorough can
vass for state senator. In convention
they each developed about equa
strength, but Caldwell was again lay
ing for prey and R. T. Simons wa.
sprung at the proper time and nom
mated. The old trump that FOrney
played on Judge Woods four years be-
fore was by the same community
played back on FOrney.
The last and most shameful ras
cality ever perpetrated in any Repub
lican convention was the last ont
held in 1893. Maj. Levi Ferguson
Hon. ]. A. Burnette and James A
Ray were candidates for district
Judge. The last judicial conventiO-
had been held under the primary sys
TEN and there was never any question
as the fairness and honesty Of the
nominations. Ray desired that the
precedent be followed and Maj. Fer
guson, with him, to submit his claim:
to the Republican voters in the pri
mary elections il Burnette would
agree to do so. Immediately aftel
this agreement the Major wrote Bur
nette questioning the right Of ALI
the candidates to agree upon this anC
a month afterward when the commit
tee met, the Major turned up at the
committee meeting as proxy for hi'
opponent, Mr.. Burnette, and said ht
(Burnette) would not submit to tht
primary system. The convention
flxers had gained their point and
delegate convention was called. Ir
Wellington the understanding wa:
that Henderson in the First ward
Ferguson in the Second ward and
Ray in the Fourth, were to name
their own delegates, leaving tht
Third and Fifth wards as tht
battle ground. Ray and Ferguson
agreed between themselves that
neither would put up a delegate whC
would not 60 to the other rather thar
to Burnette. After Henderson haC
named his delegates, the Ferguson
! oro1rd oloipaad that eapna ~ thar