People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-06-27
Political Deal of 1893.
Daily Mail.

Company VS.. The Board OF County
Commissioners which resulted in a
verdict for the defendants in the dis
trict court last Friday morning
brought out some of the real facts in
the alleged political deal of 1893 about
which so much has been said IN the
newspapers of the county since that
time
The campaign of 1893 opened, as
usual, with an effort to work up a
''fusiOn" between the Democrats and
POpulists. The Democrats took the
initiative and held their convention
first. They nominated j. E. Halsell
for district Judge; John T. Casey OF
Conway Springs, for sheriff, and DR..
Hall of Caldwell. for coroner. They
made no nominations for the other
offices, for the express purpose OF CIV
ing the PopulistS an opportunity to
endorse or nominate these three
Democrats and then supply the
vacancies,
The Populist convention was held
the next day after the Democratic
convention. When it was convened
the middle of the road" sentiment
predOminated and a complete indie
pendent ticket was demanded. But
the POpulists had no member of their
party to present for the judgeship
Moreover, that same j. E. HalSell was
a very smooth manipulation. His fac
tion of the Democratic party had
thwarted a determined effort the day
before to nominate a Democrat for
county commissioner to succeed J. r.
HeSkett. These considerations and
causes led to his nomination by the
POpuliStS as their candidate for dis
trict Judge. Straight out POpulists
were nominated for all other offices.
Judge HalSell was peculiarly ambi-
tlOus, "fOxy" and selfish. His meth
DDS and manipulatiOns had aroused
the jealousy and ill-cOncealed antag-
Onism of the most potent influences
within his own party. His nominal
1iOn by the POpulists was regarded
by these Democrats, and not without
apparent good reasons, as the result
of HalSell'S efforts to take care of
himself without any regard whatever
for the welfare or success of the
Democratic party. Consequently it
was an open secret from the day of his
nomination that if he should be elect
ed, the fault therefor could not be
laid at the door of several very shrewd,
active Democrats. These men knew,
as everybody else did, that with
three tickets in the field, there was
no possibility of candidate whose
name appeared en- the Democrat
ticket only being elected. In their
eyes the election of HalSell meant the
reward of treaChery to the party, the
success of selfish cunning, the disin-
tegratlOn Of the Democratic party as a
political power in Sumner county.
In 1898, as has been the case ever
since 1889, the Democrats held the
balance of political power in Sumner
county although unable to elect a
nominee of their own party alone.
The Standard was the only Democrat.
&c newspaper in the county and sue
ceeded in getting the county printing
IN 1893. The Standard people consid-
cred that the award Of the county
printing carried with it all the Job
work although there was no such
specification in the contract. The
printing Of the official ballots in 1893
caused the first stir in the campaign
OF that year. VIM. H. Carnes was
county clerk; he consulted the writer
and other attorneys and was advised
that he had the right to absolutely
control the printing Of these ballsts
and advised as a matter Of political JUS
tice to give the printing of them to
Campbell & Hood, the publishers Of
the only Republican newspaper in
wellington. Up to this time the
Standard had been supporting the
Democratic county ticket, giving the
Populists no comfort, and making 10
fight on the Republican nominees.
When F. II. Gilmore, the editor Of
the Standard learned that Mr.. Carnes
before leaving for the worlds fair, had
ordered the printing of the official
ballots to be given to Campbell &
Hood, divers and sundry dire threats
Of attacks upon the Republican ticket
were made, Then began series of
negotiations between the officers of
the Republican central committee and
some of the Republican nominees on
the one hand and Campbell s. Hood
on the other, looking to the surrender
OF the printing of the official bal
dots for money consideration to be
paid to Campbell & Hood by the Re-
publicanocandidateS. These negOtia-
tions were fruitlesS except in engen-