The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-03
wICHITA's BAMBoozLERs.


ing a few Republicans it appears that
| the Democratic bosses would have call
ed their ticket in Wichita Democratic
tickets" instead of Comparison
tickets"
They certainly did not label their
weIl-known Democrats as 'NOn-par-
tisans" in order to fool the POpulists.
The Populists always vote for Demo
Gratis. The POpulists have had an idea
for years that by voting for Democratic
candidates they can get the Democrats
to vote for POpulists. OF course this
isn't true. Every fusion ticket ever
placed in the field in Sedgwick county
shows that the POpulistS voted for both
Democrats and POpulists alike, but
that the Democrats voted only for the
Democrats and scratched the POpuliSts.
There are reasons for this. Democratic
principles and Populist principles are
Numerically opposed, and it is I'M
possible to drive all Democratic voters
into the POpulist camp. But the greater
and graver reason is that what little
there is of the Democratic party in
Wichita is in the hands of Grover
Cleveland, gold-bug, and Grover Cleve-
land will not tolerate his men support
ing free silver Democrats, even in so
distant and remote place as Wichita,
Kansas.
And so we have seen for several years
the Democrats voting the Democratic
part Of the fusion tickets and scratch
ing the Populist part of it. For long
time the Democrats were afraid that
this kind of tactics would turn the
POpuliSts against them. But it didn't.
Last fall the POpulists had particular
pet running for the office of county
clerk. The Democrats socked it TO him
hard, and the Populists never muir
INJURED. Since then the Democrats
have come to the conclusion, very SEN
sibly, that the Populists will take any
thing off the Democrats the Democrats
are inclined TO impose. They are GER
tain, this crowd of bosses who are the
slaves of gOld-bug Cleveland, that the
POpulists will always vote solid for
their Democratic candidates. They
know also that the Populists will vote
for Democrat as a 'nOn-partiSan."
There can be no question, then, that
the Democratic ticket was called the
mon partisan ticket for the sole pur-
pose of fooling a few Republicans who |
might be taken in by this sort of a |
rickety scheme. The Pops will vote |
for them. A Democrat never votes for |
but Democrat. Then with |
a few Republican votes led astray by |
this non-partiSan alias, the Democrat |
bosses have figured, it would be pos |
sible for the Democrats to get control of |
the city council They are sure that |
they have the Pops fooled, the Demo
Gratis solid, but they are in doubt about
the few Republicans
Therefore the eloquent appeals Of the
federal Office-holding, Groverized gang
to Republicans to vote against their
own party. Therefore the declarations
hat every Republican who aspireS TO
)ffice is a rapscaliOn. Therefore the
wholesale charge that all the men on
he Republican tickets are either in
or dishonest
1t would seem to be unnecessary to
iSk the Republicans to stand together
lnder such a contemplate fire as this.
But it is necessary that they stand to-
,ether next Tuesday. The Democrats
nave the Populists completely hypno-
lied and it would be senselesS for a
Republican to appeal to q POpuliSt to
-ote the Republican ticket Every
Democrat in town is perfectly ac-
luainted with the fact that the i'm
naculate ''non-partisans" are dyed-in-
he-wool Democrats and a Democrat
lever fails to vote for a Democrat
whether he is travelling under an alias
II is known as fusionist or is courage
'ut enough to announce what all his
leighborS know, that he is a moss
Overed Democrat; that he will vote the
Democratic ticket all his life: that he
viii vote for Grover Cleveland for a
bird coronation; that he will he for a
and an English-foot-
licking policy if the boss Democrat
imply says so.
The Republicans should recognize in
he nOn-partisan ticket the same old
ommon enemy which it has met so
ften before. II is made ND of q lot Of
'efoOled and bamboOzled Populists
manipulated by a scheming Democrats
Who were born that way and can't
elp it.