The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-08-10
LEEDY AT EMPORIA.
The Populist Candidate for Governor
Opens His Campaign.

Emporia, Aug. 1O-There was a large
crowd present at the opening of the
campaign by John w. Leedy, Popu-
list candidate for governor, Saturday
afternoon and evening. tt was the first
meeting of the fusion forces, and the
three elements that have united to put
an end to Republican rule, We're repre-
scented in the persons of the speakers
the Democrats by David Overmyer, the
Populists by J. w. Leedy, the fusion
candidate for governor, and the Silver
Republicans in the persons of the
chairman and Ed Little.
About 5000 people were congregated
in Soden's grove in the afternoon to
hear the talking. The roads and ap~
proaches to the grove were filled with
teams, for nearly a mile in one in
stance, while the owners We're attend
ing the meeting.
Judge Charles Fletcher, a Repub1i-
can, presided. In his address he de-
clared that he was still a Republican,
a sound money Republican. Then he
explained that the only sound money
was silver. and it was on that issue
that the Republican party had left
him. S. M. Scott followed in an ap~
peal for unity of action of all who be-
heve in free coinage, and insisted that
there should be no Democrats, no Pop
ulists, no Republicans, but only pat
riots.
Ed Little claimed that he had been
abused by Republican papers for Ieav>
ing the Republican party, and joining
issues with "Altgeld, Debs and other
anarchists He then stated that if
the editors of the papers who abused
him would go back and read some or
their old editorials, they would finds
that they themselves were not far
from being the same kind of anarchists
that he was.
J. w. Leedy. the Populist nominee
for governor. arrived from Leroy at
1920 o. m. A brass band met him at
the depot, and several hundred citt-
zens on foot and in carriages formed a
procession and escorted him up town
The evening meeting was held in Ere
mont park. Seats were arranged for
1000 persons. Every seat was taken,
and many remained standing.
L. c. Noise a member of the Demo-
cratic state central committee acted
as chairman. Ed Little was introduce
ed. He made a brief talk. Among some
of his strongest points was the state
ment that Kansas had no dollars to
sell, therefore was not looking for a
high priced dollar; that she was a state
whose people had wheat, corn and
for sale, and that they were
therefore interested more in high
prices for these articles than in dol
lars.
When J. w. Leedy was introduced
the cheering was prolonged. He made
a favorable impression. He opened his
with the statement that some
of his friends had succeeded in convinc-
ing him that he was deeply interested
in the gubernatorial question, and he
now wanted to win over his hearers to
his convictions. He then branched off
into a discussion of states rights,
that since the war the rights
of sovereign states had been so much
invaded that it was now doubtful if a
governor of a state was anything more
than a simple superintendent of a poor
farm. He, however, promised to rem
edy this, when he became governor
He claimed that as corporations were
the creations of the state they should
be ruled by the state, and he promised
his hearers to see that they were kept
within the strict limits of the law.
David Overmyer followed. The OPEN
ing portion of his address was an ap-
peal for unity of action, with the free
coinage of silver as their battle cry
He followed this with one of his argu-
ments in favor of free coinage, during
which he censured the Republicans for
insisting on UNFOLDING the money loan,
ers in their efforts to keep up the price
of money. He talked until a late hour