Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-02
FRILLs AND sIDEsHOws.
Nansans Cannot Figure Out How
Their State VIII Go.
Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.

hansans Cannot Figure Out How
Their State VIII Go.
Special Dispatch to The Evening Star
INDEPENDENCE, Kan. September .
The gold democrats of Kansas, in con-
Vention at Topeka this week. selected dele
gates to the Indianapolis convention, and
IN most emphatic terms repudiated The
nomination of Bryan and the platform
accepted at Chicago. They denounce free
silver coinage, declaring that THE only
test OF metallic money is the fire; that any
com that is not worth much without as
with the insignia Of the mint is dishonest,
and no democrat can subscribe to a dis
hcnest public money, no matter how it may
be disguised" They further declare their
SET purpose. as an organization. to carry
on an energetic campaign in behalf of the
rue democracy Two hundred delegates
were III the convention. including many of
tne more prominent leaders of the party in
the past, and the proceedings were marked
. oS steat earhestness and much genuine en-
tnuslasm 1t adds to the complicati tons OF
the situation, already puzzling to the most
experienced In the art of political prog
Hostics IN Kansas, and widens the field for
o bu,a .loh. only day or SO ago the
chairman OF the republican and the demo.
pcpullst fusion state committees answered
an inquiry from the New York Herald
each claiming the state, apparently With
equal confidence, both reasoning from re-
SUITS two and four years ago and cond
'iGhs now, as they respectively view them
III 1897 with populists and democrats
,useu' as ti1ey are now, the vote on gov
trhor was: Republican, 15S, O7J: demo-non,,
hst. lt5..Dt: prohibition AIS showin1 ,
small ma ]ority for the combination on ,ba
state ticket. and also for Weaver electors
aan, 80, aiter Two years Of populist state
ADMINISTRATION. and a campaign turning
largely on state issues, with a democr,tic
..uhet IN the neld, the vote was: Republi-
o.H l 1855; populist, Used: democratic
| ~
mean strength more than 3Nn o. ~
popuhsts and democrats put together hut
niue snort Of majority, counting tho -
n lirpit,oh vote, which must be reckoned in
any ih1eiiiseht forecast this year.
The Si.leshows.
Indeed. the sideshows nrorisa 70 oo,,
mahd more than the usual attention in the
pending campaign, in view of the nearly
even division OF strength between repubIi-
cans and the demo-populist eonhi,.,;a.,
ana the further reason that there are moro
OF them Up TO date they include tho nro
''lhitionlsts, the resubmissionists and the
sound money gold or true democracy. each
tsu- hI,,i votes In contest wherein
re" hunored may turn the scale For
freaks ana frlllS in politics. Kansas nro
Uses 10 hold her undisputed place at the
Ieao OF the procession. The prohibition
vote mas stood at about 5000 year after
year with persistent Inconsistency. The
voters are mostly former republicans who
complain that the old PARTY is NOT trus W
l:roalpluon and they usually evince by
their votes, a Willingness at least to turn
me state over to the den, ocracy which as
party, Is at all times opposed to the pro-
flbltory policy. But where this vote win
go this year is hard to tell. AS national
organization the prohbitionsts early in the
| Year set the pace on boiling and divisions
| On the money question. in which ex-Gov
| ST John of tfis state played a conspicuous
part. He is not only a leading prohibition
country 20 hr,f
| f1ee silver advocate as Well and really
| ldentlhed with the populist party IN this
state. He is manifestly willing to let pro-
fibltlon go to the dogs in his zeal for IRE.
| silver and his yet greater desire to defeat
| the republican party.
st. Johns Apostasy.
! Though bright and ikahIe man with
| many friends and commendable traits. John
| p. st. John is the most remarkable evan
! PIE OF political apostasy and seeming in
| gratitude in the history of Kansas politics
| so unique and picturesque in many WAYS
| The republican party elected him governor
| in 1873, and again in 1850. In 1882 it went
| down to defeat in the effort to elect him for
a third term, and partly by reason of hav-
| ing adopted prohibition in the constitution
! ard laws of the state, where it stands to-
! day. Yet ever since that defeat, St John
| with about 1900 voters. has been the most
vicious foe of the republican party in kan
| sas. doing all in his power to compass its
| destruction regardless of his professed do
| Votion TO what he urges the great prin-
cirle of prohibition. That he will endeayor
| to carry votes to Bryan in this campaign is
| certain How many he can deliver is of
course unknown.
Then, the resubrission vote of tho state
| proposes to be heard from this year. AS
an organization. Ii maintains a sort of fit
| 1ul existence, bohbins up row and then.
| sometimes running ticket and again
| voting this way or that. having but one OH
| Ject in view, to secure if possible a result
| mission OF our prohibitory policy to a
popular vote, IN the hope of wiping it out
| of our laws and constitution. 1t comprises
| "oters who are SO radically opposed to pro-
hibition that they subordinate all Other
| political considerations to their one supreme
| desire as above stated. The prohihtionisis
| and the reSubmiSSionist present the stran,r
| est paradox in politics. Though in princi-
pie moving on conflicting lines and seek
| ing opposite ends, they are vet often seen
arrayed against republican candidates the
one because the republican party has done
| SO much for prohibition. the other because
| it has. as he sees it, done so little. What
| the resubmission force in the state this
! fall may be and where it will land is din
| cult to guess. 1t is showing signs of re-
newed activity just now. encouraged by
! tween the two chief parties, in which =.
| few votes may tell the tale.
Republicans Expect 1t.
| The republicans, however have some req
| son to hope for this VOTE from the fact
that the republican platforms for the past
| two years have omitted the usual indorse
| ment OF prohibition an article of faith
| and further that there is growing senti-
| n,ent in the republican party in favor of a
| convention to revise the constitution gen.
| orally, which would in time give a retrial
OF the prohibition question before the peg
pie. The recent organization of the sound
money democrats has been already mon
| toned. This, with the prohibition and re-
| submission sideshows, certainly lends A
| charming uncertainty to the campaign, now
| III full blast all over the state The re-
| publicans argue that two years ago they
cast on governor over 5000 more votes than
| were cast for the democratic and DopuIist
| candidates combined, and that the fusion
| row on between the latter cannot, ac-
| cording to all experience in politics, carry
| the entire voting strength of the two par
| ties. Even if it did, and the republicans
| should hold their vote Of two years ago, it
| " Guild give the republicans the state. Re
pIblicans freely admit loss of a good
many free silver voters, but claim this