The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-09-18
POLITICS IN GREER COUNTY.


tain TO have a very unusual ending.
In fine Flynn is assured of a majority
in this county next November. While
| his friends have believed and asserted
| that Greer county owed its support to
/ Flynn, it was beyond all anticipation
| and license TO expect a victory for him
here. Yet the political authorities here
differ only On the degree of his triumph.
The Populist leaders are giving him
| the concession of 400 votes, a gain OF
400, as Republican has never appear
ed on a Republican ticket in Greer
county before. The Populist leaders
| do not have the confederation or al
their followers in this, as many say he
will carry the county. \ greater part
of the leading Democrats say he viii
carry the county by two hundred. Two
weeks ago any claim Of over one hun
dred votes for Flynn would have been
| considered preposterous by the people
| in the county, and even by his friends
! in Oklahoma Greer county viii this
year cast about !, 200 votes. This was
the vote two years ago, divided about
equally between the Populists and
| Democrats, the Republicans not ap-
nearing. The conjecture in this coun-
| " is that there are about 100 RepuDN-
! cans. who would vote a Republican
ticket were one ever put in the field
This wear the Populists and Democrats
place tickets in the field, the Republi-
cans staying out Of the fight so far as
a regular ticket is concerned There
is an intense political rivalry between
the Democrats and the Populists, the
issues Of the campaign being based on
the national principles of the two par
ties.
Delegate Flynn has made five
sneeches in the county. 1t has been
only a little over six months ago that
Greer county was taken from Texas,
by the United States supreme court.
and added by congress to oklahoma
Settled entirely by the people OF the
south. from Texas, Mississippi, Louis
lana, Georgia and Alabama, the people
brought with them the political inclna-
lions of their section Hundreds Of
them, and l had oral evidence OF this,
| had never before this week, ever heard
a Republican speech What was more,
| they had no inclination TO listen TO
Republican. They were welded TO the
southern politics and customs For q
long period they had but one party
the Democratic party. Six years ago
the Populist party, then the Farmers
Alliance, broke away from the Demo
cratic mass, and as in Texas, SO in
Greer county, then part OF Texas, q
similar division took place. The Pop
ulist party of the south is akin 10 the
Populist party of the north only in that
part of its nature which Is protest
Knowing only at a distance the Re
publican party and having for an inn
mediate antagonist, the Democrats, the
latter became their one party 10 at
tack. In the contest, which in every
scotch receives its impetus from riv-
airy for local offices, the Republican
party was entirely overlooked by these
well-mannered, well-educated and
good-intentiOned people Of Greer coun-
ty. Their idea Of an aggressive Re
publican was an abhorrent nightmare
of a frothing northerner seeking TO rub
salt into the wounds Of defeat, not a
petitioner for votes but an isolated
denunciator of mis- neighbours history.
When Greer county was added 20
Oklahoma it increased, according to
everybody's opinion, largely the Demo
cratic and Populist vote of the terri
tory of Oklahoma, and gave nothing TO
the Republicans. With fusion between
the Democrats and Populists, which
was recently consummated At Ell Reno,
it added, apparently, the entire county
vote against Flynn, the Republican
candidate for congress.
Last Sunday evening the Republi-
can candidate entered this county. The
postmasters in the towns had been
sent posters advertising meetings TT
different places. This was the only
advance agent of the Republican can
didate. When Mr.. Flynn entered the
county he did not know single man
In the county, the name Of Il sin@ie man
In the county, and he had never seen
| either the county, its towns or its ciu-
zenS. His managers had selected a
town for his initiatory speech from the
| man. When the candidate reached
this point, he found, not 4 town, but
an isolated school house. The people
of the vicinity, however, turned out
There was not a Republican in the
audience, and no one volunteered TO in
troduce the speaker. He made q speech
Of two hours length. During IL there
was not the movement Of = muscle
from the critical hearers. But when
the address was ended, the audience,
almost TO 4 man, congratulated the
speaker and pledged him their support.
In the next town, the county-seat, a
place of some size, a Democrat was in
uuCeu, HieTett ApE the A1d1iI SS--o--SS VI
formality, TO preside. Again the aud
fence sat quietly through the address.
| But after the speech. men rushed up 10
him and pledged him their support.
| They followed him 10 his hotel and
asked him hundreds of questions, many
| pledging their support when questions
were satisfactorily answered. In the
third city. AltuS, Il large crowd greeted