The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-07-21
THUMBSCREWS!
Turned on Republican Candi-
dates for Congress
BY Leland in the State House
Torture Chamber
To Compel Them to Recant
Free Silver Principles.
SECRET MEETING HELD
With Cy Leland as Master of
Ceremonies.
. Curtis TOnn aD6 Ellis Pu+ Tn.
Curtis, Long and Ellis Put Up.
on the Rack.
ONLY ONE SHRIEKED
Chester I. Long Obeys Cy Le-
lands Orders,
But Curtis and Ellis Stand for
Silver.


Under the guiSe of a prOSafc eXecu- |
tive committee meeting. Cy Leland
called a conference at Private Secre-
tary Bristow's office in this city last
night for the purpose of whipping the
Republican candidates for congress into
line on the gold standard plank of the
ST. Louis platform.
This is an exclusive bit of news which
the State Journal is able to give its
readers.
The conclave was secret and every
effort has been made to keep the pro
ceedings'' quiet and unpublished.
Boss -Cy Leland and Congressman
Dick Blue were the chief ringmasters
and the way they cracked the party
lash around the legs of the congress
sional candidates showed they were
desperate actors in the political saw
dust arena.
Leland and the gold Republicans are
scared to death over the growth of sill
yer and they were determined to drive
Candidates Charley Curtis, A. H. Ellis.
Chester L Long, Kirkpa trick, Case
Broderick and Jack Harris away from
the silver tents.
What was the result?
Mighty slim.
Chester L Long alone was cOWed. He
gave up the ghost and intimated he
would stand on the gold plank.
Charles Curtis stood up and said:
mo, gentlemen. I will stand where I
have always stood. the firm friend of
silver. I can't stand anywhere else
and will not.''
Dick Blue remarked: There is no
such thing as bimetallisn; there never
has been and there never will be-
Candidate for Congress Ellis of the
| Sixth district said:
There has been such a thing as BIZ
| metallism, and there can be again. I
| propose to stand on the platform on
which I was nominated, which is for
| the free coinage of the American silver
product
These expressions troubled Blue, who
said:
"One of us cannot go into a town
and talk the single gold standard and
another Republican candidate for con
gress go to the same town and talk for
silver"
THAT ought not to be difficult - said
some one We had a single candidate
| for congress two years ago, who was on
! both sides of this question in one cam
| paign. At one place he said he was
for silver 16 to 1, at another place ne
| repudiated silver"
4 never said it, said Blue.
Il did not say you did" was the re-
well. they were all looking at me-"
I can't help that" said the speaker.
The proceedings showed that there
! was a big split in the party right in
| the worst fight, the congressional one.
| Our brave Jimmy TrOutman, who is
candidate, giving Mr.. Leland and Mr.
| Peters considerable trouble, spoke up:
! The Republicans of Kansas, by their
platforms and leaders, have taught the
| people to believe in silver and it's no
| easy thing to engineer a flop to the
| other extreme"
Case Frederick was not there.
Kirkpatrick was conspicuous as an
| absentee.
Bluff Jack Harris could not be bluffed
| by his Second district neighbOr. He
| knew Blue was a regular F'alstaff and
| said pOintedly: I am fOE more money
| instead of less
The meeting that took place last
evening was quietly, almost secretly
| called
Yesterday afternoon the late trains
! began to bring Republicans into town
| and by night nearly every. portion Of
| the state was represented in a seem
| ingIy impromptu conference of prOmi-
| nent men of the party. At the Cope
| land last night there were groups and
| small circles of men whispering to each
| other They had all been invited to
| come up to Topeka to meet the execu-
! tive committee of the state central
| committee.
| Among those who were here from
| out of town were c. S. Jobes of Attica,
! Morton Albaugh of Kingman, Lit Crum
| of Oswego William Higgins, Cy Le-
! land, Jr the bad man from Troy as
| Mayor Fellows called him when he
| shook hands with him; ]. J. Cox of
| Lawrence, J. B. Tomlinson of Mime
apolis, W B. Sutton OF Russell, s. H
Dodge of Beloit, A. H. Ellis of Beloit,
c. r. Mead of Abilene, J. r. Burton of
Abilene, J. C. Postlethwaite of Jewell,
| Thomas NJ. Potter of Peabody, s. r.
Peters of Newton, w H. Vernon OF
Larned, William Martindale of En-
pOria, J. P. Harris of Ottawa, Samuel
w. Vandivert of Kinsley, c. Hood OF
Emporia, c. NJ. Sheldon of Usage
Dick Blue of Pleasanton. Chester 1
Long of Medicine Lodge, w. NJ. Beez-
ley of KinsIey, I. E Lambert of En-
] poria, George a. Clark of Junction