Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-11-26
S cry KAN SAS
Mckinley Was Popular, but Bryan Got the
Votes.
The Republicans Had Made the silver
Argument Too Long to Gainsay
1t I'm One Summer.


have returned to Washington during the
past week, but they do not seem to be an
xious to discuss the result Of the election
out there. OF the eight Congressman who
now represent the state but two of them
will be returned to the Fifty-fifth Congress.
Judge Broderick of the first district and
Mr.. Charles Curtis of the fourth. The race
was so close in the second 1t is thought
that Mr.. Harris, the republican candidate,
will contest for his seat. Judge Calder
head of the fifth district was the only con-
gressional candidate in the campaign of
~ who made an out and out declaration
for the gold standard. and this so enraged
his opponents at that time that they de-
clared that they would snow him under go
deep that he would never receive the homt-
nation for Congress again. However, he
went patiently to work to educate his peo-
pie up to his views, and, with the encourage
ing result that he not only received his
nomination for Congress, but a strong in
States Senate. While he was defeated at
the election, it was by a very small ma
jority, and he ran far ahead of the ma
tional ticket.
Jerry Simpsons District.
The contest in the seventh-Mr. Chester
I. Long's-district was one Of the most ex-
citing and hardest fights of the campaign.
1t Is an immense district, comprising thirty
six counties. and one-third Of the entire
area of the state, and has a voting popula-
ton of $4,000. which is more than the
whole state of Florida. Mr.. Simpson has
disseminated free silver literature unceas-
ingly for the past two years, and during
the four months of the campaign politics
were kept at white heat by both parties.
But the top notch of enthusiasm was
reached when Speaker Reed went out
ia Ia n
in Mr.. Longs district, and made two
speeches in one day. All of the railroads
ran excursions and brought 10000 people
from the neighboring counties to hear him
Inc town went wild over the big man from
Maine, and had the most mammoth demon
strat1on that Kansas ever saw. 1t is de-
cloed pointer to Mr.. Longs personal popu-
iarity that he ran ahead of the national
tlcKet IN every county in his district, while
Jerry Simpson. his successful opponent
ran l,5OO behind the national ticket, but
the sentiment for free silver was so strong
that 1t carried Mr.. Long to his defeat.
How 1t Happened
For the first time in it's history the re-
publicans Of Kansas have met with q
complete overthrow. and the populists have
entire control of both branches of the leg
lsiature, the governor and a majority on
the bench of the supreme court
Ihls result was not obtained" said a
member of the delegation, because the
people of Kansas wanted a poD:1list state
administration. but because Of the strength
OF the free silver sentiment. which was the
only issue OF the campaign out there and
Wnlcn caused the people to forget all other
questions. The sentiment in favor of
Bryan and free silver was so strong that
1t carried with it the candidates on the
popo-democratic ticket. The republican
state ticket ran 600 ahead of the national
and nearly all of the republican candidates
Of
the national ticket. 1t Is the record of the
past twenty years that all Of the Repre-
sentatives from Kansas in both branches
of Congress, irrespective Of party, have
voted for the free coinage of silver, and
this has continued so long that raany re-
publfcans in Kansas believed that the ma
tienal republican party favored free silver.
Last winter Senator Baker i'll the Senate
and a majority Of the republican Congress
men from Kansas voted with the party
against the free coinage of silver. The
on the national republican platform and
In line with the parry. it being the first
time that the republicans of Kansas had
ever taken decided position on the money
question. -Four months was too short a
time to change the opinion of years stand
ing. and the only surprise about the result
Is that Bryans majority in the state was
not larger. Personal sentiment was en-
tirely lost sight of.
The Democrats Disgusted.
personally, Mckinley was far more pop
ular in the state than was Bryan, but the
people had become imbued with the idea
that free silver was what was needed to
do away with the hard times of the past
four years. and this idea so absorbed them
that all other issues were forgotten. But
the people of Kansas are intelligent and
will eventually take right view of the
money question. The most thoroughly
disguised Of all the parties in Kansas to-
day are the democrats who fused with the
populists. They had counted on the VIC
tory CT the Bryan ticket and expected to
reap their rewards from that but as the
result now stands the populists have all
Of the plums. and the poor democrats are
way out in the cold, and there is not a
hope for them for a long time in the fu-
ture."