The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-08-11

Voorhees, That the Leaders Have Cone
Most be shelved and Third Man Put t.
!. the Front-Barrison Has Consented t.
be This Man According to Reports
Which are Supposed to be Reliable.
Chicago, Aug. 10.--IGeneral benjamin
Harrison, ex-president Of the United
States, is an avowed candidate for the
seat In the United States senate which Is
now occupied by the Tall Sycamore OF
the Wabash Daniel w. voorhees,.
This statement was made yesterday
by one Of the closest friends of the ex-
president, and one who shared many OF
his political secrets in times gone by.
In speaking of the situation in Indiana
he said that the contest between Nc
Keen and Fairbanks for the senatorship
has become so bitter that there seems to
be but one way open to settle the con-
troversy, and that is by a third candl-
date coming into the race who would be
satisfactory to both, and to whom both
would bow their acknowledgements and
retire from the race.
That man lis ex-President Benjamin
Harrison, they say. The general was
at first a little slow In permitting the
use of his name in connection with the
senatorship, but II is understood by his
most intimate friends that he has de-
cided not only to allow the use OF his
name in this connection, but will do
some active campaign work On the
stump.
There is no name that enthuses the
| average HOoSier more than that of the
man who represented that state in the
United States senate, and was later
elected to the highest Office in the gift
of the people. General Harrison is pop
ular with certain element Of the Hoos-
Ter Democracy, who remember the ac-
ton Of that party in 1886. when, after a
fair contest for the legislature, the Re
publcans won the control on joint ball
lot, but a Democratic senate unseated
enough Republicans to give David Tur-
pie one majority, thus defeating General
| Harrison for reelection.
| SHOW THEIR COIORS.
Democratic ranks who denounced the
these men would be only too glad Of an
opportunity to show their colors and
stand by Harrison In 1856 General
| Harrison was at the head of the state
ticket There was no election for gov
ernor that year and the principal contest
was for United States senate. The out
| look at the beginning of The campaign
was exceedingly dark. and even the most
sanguine Of the Republican leaders
thought OF victory as a mere possibility.
The party organized thoroughly and
| General Harrison took the stump, max
| ing one Of tho most aggressive cam
| paigns that has ever been carried in In
diana. It was a bitter fight and at
great odds, as the state had recently
| been gerTymandered for the purpose Of
capturing the senatorship for the De-
mocracy. The leading Democrats
laughed at the idea that the Republicans
| could ever hope to come anywhere near
a majority on joint ballot. and many
bets were made that they would not
control either house
So outrageous was this gerrymander
that out of a delegation Of thirteen con-
gressnlen the Republicans had only one.
That was from the Sixth, where they
could not arrange shoestring district
Of any kind that would prevent the old
Quaker county, with Richmond as the
principal city, from overcoming the Dem
ocrat.c maiorities Of any county they
weretacked onto.
The result of the campaign was that
Harrison would have the majority of
the legislature on joint ballot by several
votes. but the Democrats controlled the
senate. They found that they must de-
pose the newly elected lieutenant gov
ernor. who would preside over that body
and who was a Republican. This they
did by refusing him 10 take his seat, re-
sorting to mob violence. Republicans
enough were unesatsd to give the DEM
ocrats a majority of one, and Turpie
was elected. When the contest was made
In the United States senate the old ex-
cuse Of senatorial courtesy interferred
with going into the case.
BITTER CONTEST.
The contest in Indiana this year over
the senatorship has bene a bitter one
There were enough hold-over members
to almost insure the Republican control
on joint ballot One strange feature Is
that the recent decisions in regard 70
the apportionment acts will bring the
election OF members of the Legislature
under the act OF 1856, which is the one
under which Harrison carried the sta te
In 1886, with great odds against him.
While the law IS unfair and was at the
time It was passed, it is much more fair
for the Republicans now, beca use OF the
change and increase of poulation IN the
gas belt. Here. where there are many
Democratic counties and consequently
districts, the influx of laboring men
who are employed in ordinary times by
the factories, and who at present are
glad to get anything to do at any wages.
has changed them into Republican dis
tricts.
There have been two rival candidates
for the seat now held by Senator Voor-
hess---Riley McKeen of Terre Haute,
the President OF the Vandalia railroad.
and Hon Charles ". Fairbanks OF In
dianapolis, who was temporary chair
man Of the national Republican conven-
ton at st. Louis. The contest between
these men started in January, when the
state committee reorganiZed. In this
contest John X. Gowdy was elected over
ex-United States Treasurer Nebecker.
and this was considered as a victory for
the Fairbanks men.
Since then the contest for the control
% the legislature has been growing
sharuser. and ii is now in the interest of
peace and harmony that ex-President
Harrison has decided TO become a candi-
date for the senate. and IL is understood
that the friends Of both Mcke and
Fairbanks would prefer General Harri-
son 70 any other mar aside from their
own candidate. He is not and has not
A HEALS